Climbs into lead
Jutanugarn shoots 67, grabs U.S. Women’s Open lead
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Ariya Jutanugarn turned a three-shot deficit into a fourshot lead after shooting 5-under 67 Saturday at the U.S. Women’s Open at Shoal Creek.
The 22-year-old from Thailand started the third round behind Australia’s Sarah Jane Smith, but quickly gained ground, making two birdies on her first three holes.
Jutanugarn took the lead after Smith stumbled with backto-back bogeys and then surged ahead with three straight birdies on the back nine. She was at 12-under 204 for the tournament.
Smith started the tournament with back-to-back 67s, but shot a 74 in the third round and didn’t make a birdie, to fall into second place.
South Korea’s Hyo-Joo Kim was in third after shooting 68 and was six shots back.
It was a long, sweaty day at Shoal Creek, especially for those who had to complete their second round on Saturday morning before playing the third. Jutanugarn said she had a 4 a.m. wakeup call and played a total of 28 holes as the temperature hovered around 90 degrees and combined with stifling humidity.
Jutanugarn didn’t seem to mind, finishing with a 70 in the morning. She was able to rest a few hours before getting back
on the course and birdied two of the first three holes to immediately put pressure on Smith, who has never won on the LPGA Tour.
Smith had the advantage of finishing her second round on Friday before thunderstorms swept through central Alabama, but couldn’t capitalize. She made seven straight pars before back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 8 and 9 dropped her one shot behind Jutanugarn.
Jutanugarn is trying for her ninth LPGA Tour win and her second major. She won the Women’s British Open in 2016 and is coming off a victory at the Kingsmill Championship in May.
Michelle Wie started the third round in a tie for fourth, seven shots off the lead, but shot a 76 to fall out of contention. The Shoal Creek course has taken a lot of rain over the past few weeks — including nearly an inch on Friday that forced the second-round delay — but still remained in relatively good shape. A day of sunshine certainly helped conditions, but more rain is possible today.
DeChambeau takes 1-shot lead
DUBLIN, Ohio — Bryson DeChambeau finished off a 6-under 66 with birdies on two of the toughest holes, giving him a one-shot lead going into a final round at a Memorial that features Tiger Woods in the mix at Muirfield Village for the first time in six years.
Woods was in total control of his shots for the second straight day, only to miss short putts down the stretch that spoiled his run. He was briefly tied for the lead Saturday until threeputt bogeys on the 16th and 18th holes, and he had to settle for a 68. He was five shots behind.
Woods wasn’t alone in missing short putts.
Walking off the course with his first 54-hole lead, DeChambeau couldn’t but help but think of the two that got away. He missed a 3-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole, and then missed a birdie putt from 4 feet on the par-5 15th.
With the course soft and vulnerable to low scores, it was tough to leave shots on the course.
“Just keep thinking about those two 3-footers I missed,” said DeChambeau, who was at 14-under 202. “I played great, obviously. Ecstatic about where I am.”
DeChambeau wasn’t even sure where he was when he finished because so many players worked their way up and down the leaderboard over the final two hours. He wound up with a one-shot lead over Kyle Stanley, who bogeyed the 18th hole from the bunker for a 70; Patrick Cantlay, who drove into the creek left of the 18th fairway for a bogey and a 66; and Joaquin Niemann, the 19-year-old from Chile who atoned for one big mistake on the 15th hole with a birdie on the 18th for a 70.
Cantlay made two eagles, including a hole-in-one on the par-3 eighth. DeChambeau rolled in a 20-foot birdie on the par-3 16th, the third-toughest at Muirfield Village in the third round, and he hit 9-iron to 5 feet on the toughest hole, the 18th.
Six players had at least a share of the lead at some point.
Byeong Hun An played bogey-free for a 69 and was two shots behind, while Justin Rose dropped two shots over the last three holes for a 69 and was four back.
Woods played the last five holes of the front nine in 5 under, starting with his second eagle of the week. And then he stalled, just like he did on Friday. He didn’t make another birdie until the par-5 15th, when his sharp-breaking 15-footer dropped to give him a tie for the lead.
That didn’t last long. Woods ran his 45-foot birdie putt about 7 feet by on the par-3 16th and missed it coming back, and then closed by missing a 3-foot par putt.
Today’s final round will be threesomes teeing off earlier than usual to account for the rainy forecast.