CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 20: LPGA golfer Lydia Ko at the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G on September 20, 2024, at TPC River’s Bend in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire) Photo: Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire
New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko is in outright second and just two shots off the lead following the third round at the latest LPGA tour event in Ohio.
The Olympic gold medallist and British Open champion carded a three-under par 69 to move to 14 under in total, two strokes behind Jeeno Thitikul.
Thailand's Thitikul extended her lead with a 4-under par 68, going up by two strokes (16 under) with a round to play at the Queen City Championship in Maineville.
Thitikul, a former World No. 1 who entered the day nursing a one-stroke lead, is seeking her first individual LPGA win in two years.
The 21-year-old started her day hot with birdies on two of her first three holes (Nos. 1 and 3) and sprinkled in birdies on Nos. 8, 11 and 15 before eventually suffering bogeys on back-to-back holes on 16 and 17.
She closed her day with a rally to grab a birdie on the par-5 No. 18, shaking off the challenge of the heat.
"I think stay(ing) hydrated is the most important here," Thitikul said. "And then you can see all the umbrella, which is the sun - it's really killing us this week.
"But it's good. It's good. I like it more than the cold weather."
Ko, who Thitikul paired with, remains her closest pursuer.
The New Zealander's round was steady after a bogey to open on No. 1. From there, she scored birdies on Nos. 8, 10, 14 and 18.
Ko recently clinched enough career points to be inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame.
China's Yan Liu fired a 4-under 68 to earn third place honours after three rounds. Her day ran the gamut, including a double bogey on No. 3 and an eagle on No. 11. She balanced an additional bogey with five birdies.
South Korea's Haeran Ryu (70) and Switzerland's Albane Valenzuela (68) round out the top five at 12 under after 54 holes.
"I think here there is a lot of birdie opportunities and girls go low, so I'm just trying to make as many as I can," Valenzuela said.
"If it's one, if it's ten, like who knows? It's golf. You can't control the variables. All I can do is really stick to my process, my routine, and try my best."
Five golfers are tied for sixth five shots behind the leader: Lindy Duncan (68), South Korea's Hyo Joon Jang (67), Australia's Stephanie Kyriacou (69), Thailand's Jasmine Suwannapura (69) and the Philippines' Bianca Pagdanganan (69).
-Reuters / RNZ