Chun’s lead down to 3
Tough course creates tighter leaderboard at Women’s PGA
In Gee Chun shot a 3-over 75 on Saturday to take a threestroke lead into the final round of the Women’s PGA Championship.
On a day when Congressional Country Club gave the leaders plenty of trouble, Chun was holding her own until she made a double bogey on the par-5 16th hole. The two-time major champion from South Korea led by five shots after the first round and six at the halfway point, but that 36-hole advantage has been cut in half. She had an 8-under 208 total.
Lydia Ko (76) and Jennifer Kupcho (74) — Chun’s playing partners — had their own problems, but Lexi Thompson and Hye-Jin Choi both shot 70 and were tied for second with Sei Young Kim (71) at 5 under.
Chun bogeyed Nos. 1 and 11 but birdied 2 and 12. She had a fiveshot lead when she had to play her third shot from some tall grass on the 16th. That shot put her in even more trouble, in an area with tall grass and some thick trees. She took an unplayable lie and went back to the previous spot to re-hit.
Chun hit an 8-iron and sent the ball over the green, but she did manage to get up and down for a 7. Ko wasn’t able to take advantage of Chun’s mishap. She bogeyed four of five holes during one stretch on the front nine, then birdied four of the next seven. She wrapped up the round with four straight bogeys.
Kupcho had three birdies and three bogeys in the first seven holes and couldn’t gain much ground on the leader.
Kim had a comparatively drama-free round with two birdies and a bogey. Thompson made three birdies on the back nine, including a putt from about 30 feet on No. 15.
Hannah Green (72) was fifth at 4 under, a stroke ahead of Atthaya Thitikul (68), who was so far behind at the start of the day she was in one of the groups sent off on No. 10.
Brooke Henderson (73), Kupcho and Jennifer Chang (73) were tied sixth with Thitikul.
PGA: Xander Schauffele shot a 3-under 67 to take a one-stroke lead over good friend and playing partner Patrick Cantlay into the final round of the Travelers Championship. Schauffele had a 17under 193 total at TPC River Highlands. Cantlay shot 63. Rookie Sahith Theegala was third at 14 under after a round of 64, and Kevin Kisner had a 66 to get to 13 under.
Champions: Padraig Harrington finally knows what it’s like to overpower a golf course, and it has the Irishman on the verge of a U.S. Senior Open title. Harrington reached both par 5s in two, hitting 5-wood to 7 feet on the 608-yard 12th hole at Saucon Valley, and his 5-under 66 enabled him to open a five-shot lead going into the final round of the Senior Open. He was at 12-under 201, five shots clear of former U.S. Senior Open champion Gene Sauers and PGA Tour Champions rookie Rob Labritz (69).
DP World: Li Haotong had eagle on the same hole for the third day running as he opened a three-shot lead of the BMW International Open.