Minjee Lee carded a third-round 67 at Wilshire Country Club and will enter Sunday’s finale of the HUGEL-AIR PREMIA LA Open holding a one-stroke lead over Nanna Koerstz Madsen, who kept pace with her own 67.
Lee, who started the day one up on Madsen, came bursting out of the gate, with birdies on Nos. 1 and 2, but a triple-bogey on the par-4 third hole dropped her two back of the Dane.
The Aussie recovered, though, adding two more birdies on Nos. 5 and 6, and coupled with Madsen’s bogey on the 9th hole, Lee led by one at the turn. The twosome played the final nine holes all-square, with matching 33s, to finish exactly where they started – with just one shot separating the two leaders.
“I think both of us, Nanna and I, we made a lot of birdies today,” said Lee, who carded seven birdies to Koerstz Madsen’s six. “I think we sort of fed off each other, which was really nice.”
Inbee Park shot a 68 on Saturday and jumped into solo third at 7-under par, while world No. 1 Jin Young Ko (67) and Morgan Pressel (70) were T4 on 6-under par.
Top-5 Leaders: Round Three
Pos-Player-To Par (Rd 3)
1. Minjee Lee -11 (-4)
2. Nanna Koerstz Madsen -10 (-4)
3. Inbee Park -7 (-3)
4. Jin Young Ko -6 (-4)
4. Morgan Pressel -6 (-1)
Source: LPGA Communications
