Minjee Lee poised to retain LPGA Tour’s Founders Cup after claiming three-stroke lead
Australia’s defending champion Minjee Lee has seized a three-shot following the third spherical of the LPGA Tour’s Founders Cup in Clifton, New Jersey.
Key factors:
- Lee produced a five-under-par 67 within the third spherical
- The Australian shot 4 birdies and an eagle to imagine the lead
- Her countrywoman Sarah Kemp slipped from the highest of the leaderboard with a three-over 75
The world quantity six vaulted to the highest of the leaderboard with a five-under-par 67, as fellow Australian Sarah Kemp crashed after having fun with a share of the midway lead.
Relishing the tight fairways and agency greens at Higher Montclair Nation Membership, Lee reeled off 4 birdies and an eagle to soar to 12-under for the match.
Her nearest pursuers are American Angel Lin (68) and South Korean Hae Ran Ryu (70) at nine-under.
Australian rookie Grace Kim, a winner of her maiden LPGA Tour occasion in Hawaii final month, is continuous her nice run to be joint seventh at seven-under with American Cheyenne Knight (71) following a third-round 68.
Kemp slipped again to a share of thirteenth place at five-under after backing up her second-round 65 with a disappointing three-over 75.
One other Australian, Steph Kyriacou, (73) is equal nineteenth at four-under.
Lee had not managed a top-30 end in her earlier seven LPGA Tour begins earlier than discovering kind finally week’s Worldwide Crown groups occasion in San Francisco.
She and Kemp teamed with Kyriacou and Hannah Inexperienced to energy Australia to the ultimate earlier than shedding to Thailand.
“I used to be fairly stable all day,” Lee mentioned of her third spherical in Clifton.
“I made quite a lot of birdies on the entrance and one eagle on the again and simply made pars coming in, so I really feel like I had a reasonably good day.”
Lee’s Founders Cup victory final 12 months kick-started a profession season wherein she added a second main on the US Open, gained the Annika Award as ladies’s golf’s main participant of the 12 months and challenged for the world’s high rating.
She has been sluggish to get getting in 2023, struggling to place 4 good rounds collectively, however is on the precipice of one other vital win forward of her US Open defence at Pebble Seashore in three weeks.
AAP
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