Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn eagled the 18th hole and clung to a one-stroke lead over the US’ Jessica Korda and Christina Kim after Saturday’s third round of the LPGA Volvik Championship.
Ariya, trying to win her third consecutive event, struggled to a one-over-par 73, but her final shot lofted her to the lead at 10-under 206 in windy Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“To me it was very hard today, because [it was] very windy and the greens very, very firm,” Ariya said.
Photo: AFP
The 20-year-old from Bangkok became the first Thai player to win an LPGA title by taking the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic in Alabama earlier this month and added the Kingsmill Championship last week.
A victory this week would make Ariya the first LPGA player to win three events in a row since South Korea’s Inbee Park in 2013.
Korda, the 23-year-old daughter of former ATP standout Petr Korda, fired a 70 while Kim shot 72, each making a birdie at the par-five 18th to finish on 207.
Norway’s Suzann Pettersen and South Korea’s Kim Hyo-joo shared fourth on 209, with Spain’s Belen Mozo, the US’ Marina Alex and South Korea’s Ryu So-yeon another stroke adrift.
Ariya, who opened with two bogey-free rounds, led by two shots when the day began, but stumbled early with bogeys at the par-three third and par-five fourth, another to close the front nine and a bogey at 13.
“It was not only one bogey. I had four,” she said. “First bogey I just feel like, ‘Really? I miss like 3 feet.’ So it’s going to happen anyway.”
However, Ariya fought back. She birdied the par-five 14th with an eight-foot putt and gained a shot on her rivals with the eagle at 18, rolling her approach to 10 feet.
Kim, who fired a first-round 64, had two bogeys, two birdies and two pars in her first six holes, but settled down and surrendered only a bogey at 15 before closing with a birdie.
Korda opened with a birdie, took a bogey at the third, but answered with birdies at the eighth and 11th before stumbling again with a bogey at 12.
“I just kept telling myself that pars were good,” Korda said. “It’s frustrating, because you hit some great shots and they don’t end up where you think they should. So it was kind of just a little staying patient out there and just making pars.”
Taiwan’s Min Lee and Cheng Ssu-chia carded even-par 72s to finish tied for 14th and 50th respectively.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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