M. Lee eagles seventh, in 3-way tie at Girls's Open

LANCASTER, Pa. — With the largest identify on the LPGA Tour spending the remainder of her weekend away from Lancaster Nation Membership, an exciting end is nonetheless brewing coming into the ultimate spherical of the U.S. Girls’s Open.

No Nelly Korda? No drawback.

It simply means extra Wichanee Meechai, Minjee Lee and, after her 3-stroke surge Saturday, extra Andrea Lee, too. After buying and selling birdies and bogeys alongside the again 9, the trio sits tied atop the leaderboard at minus-5 general with 18 holes to go within the main championship.

“Michelle Wie West texted me [Friday] night time and she or he instructed me simply regardless of the final result is, simply put your 100% effort into it,” Andrea Lee mentioned, referring to the 2014 U.S. Girls’s Open champion. “I actually took that to coronary heart.

“I simply tried to have enjoyable on the market and simply play the golf course and never attempt to play towards the sector. Simply me and the golf course.”

Though Andrea Lee’s third-round 67 did not appear to show it, the course has been its personal opponent of types this week.

Two days earlier than play started, Korda — the world No. 1 who has received six of the 9 occasions she has entered this season — known as it “a beast.”

For her, it was a menace. Korda joined a number of different golfers ranked within the prime 20 who missed the lower. Most of them attributed their struggles to the hilly fairways, unforgiving water hazards and sloping greens which can be hallmarks of Lancaster Nation Membership.

Early in her third spherical, although, Minjee Lee tamed one of the vital difficult holes, the par 5 at No. 7. After a succession of booming photographs off the tee and fairway, she buried an eagle putt that drew loud, approving roars from the group that echoed all through the course.

“The tee was up,” Minjee Lee mentioned of the 470-yard gap. “Hit driver, hit 6-iron, pulled it a bit of bit, hit the tough, obtained a tremendous kick to the best and simply rolled all the best way to the pin about 1 foot.”

After starting the afternoon at 2-under, Minjee Lee’s eagle closed a niche with Meechai, who entered the day with a 2-stroke lead on the sector.

“Clearly I wished to have a superb rating on Spherical 3, transferring day,” Minjee Lee mentioned. “I attempted to simply preserve it fairly calm, and I simply tried to be affected person on the market.

“I really feel like my sport has been trending, week to week. It has been getting higher and higher in all facets of my sport. I really feel prefer it has been coming collectively for the second I’m in proper now.”

The 2022 U.S. Girls’s Open champion, Minjee Lee is pushing for her second win on the match and her third general main victory.

Together with the early eagle, she added a birdie on No. 16, sinking a curving, 17-foot putt to drop her to minus-5 general. Andrea Lee additionally birdied the outlet, establishing the three-way tie that carries into Sunday.

Had it not been for a narrowly missed birdie try on No. 16 and one other on No. 18 that utterly rolled across the prime of the cup earlier than lipping out, Minjee Lee might need snuck into first place to shut out the spherical.

To her credit score, Meechai parred six of her holes on the again 9 to maintain on the entrance of the pack.

“I by no means assume that I’ll be on the leaderboard or one thing like that, nevertheless it’s nice,” Meechai mentioned. “It feels actually good.”

Meechai is competing in her fourth U.S. Girls’s Open. Earlier than this 12 months, she had by no means completed any larger than thirtieth on the match. Though she has been an expert since 2010, Meechai, from Thailand, has by no means received in the US. Her 5 complete victories have are available in professional occasions in Thailand, China and Taiwan.

“My deal with the sport [was] fairly good,” Meechai mentioned of her third spherical. “I hit numerous unhealthy photographs, however I haven’t got any unhealthy ideas about my swing or concerning the consequence in any respect. I am simply staying in my zone and making an attempt to maintain going after which be affected person.”