Australian Minjee Lee carded a 7–under-par 65 to overtake the lead after three rounds of the Kroger Queen City Championship on Saturday in Cincinnati.
Lee sits at 15–under 201 with a two-shot lead over Charley Hull (third round 68) and Taiwan’s Peiyun Chen, who shot a disappointing 73 after owning the 36-hole lead.
Morgane Metraux of Switzerland is solo fourth at 12 under with her third-round 70.
Madelene Sagstrom (68) and Japan’s Yuka Saso (70) are four shots off the lead in a tie for fifth at Kenwood Country Club.
Lee is the tournament’s third different leader. China’s Ruixin Liu led by a stroke after the first round, but she shot 81 on Saturday to fall to T47.
Lee started hot, recording birdies on her first three holes of her round. She added four more birdies on the back nine and turned in a clean card for her 65.
“Obviously it’s nice to get off to a fast start,” she said. “I just wanted to make more birdies after that. I think it was just playing the course shot by shot, and coming down the last few holes, it got quite gusty and windy.”
Sagstrom played her way into contention with a 4–under 68 despite a dubious start. She bogeyed the par-4 first and also bogeyed the eighth, making the turn at even par. But an eagle on the 10th and two birdies – including the closing hole – coming in vaulted the Swede seven spots up the leaderboard on moving day.
“I thought it was really tough,” Sagstrom said. “It got breezy. It got firm. A lot of calculations. My brain is kind of tired at the moment. It was also very, very slow, so no real momentum. I’m very happy. I think I struck it well when I needed to, and I took my medicine when I needed to. I putted quite OK. My speed was, I guess, maybe not so great, but I made all the second putts.”
Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn recorded a 68 to move up seven spots into solo seventh at 10 under.
Defending champion Ally Ewing (71) sits T15 at 6 under.
