Maguire leads Women’s PGA
Birdies last hole to stay 1 shot up
Leona Maguire is a round away from winning for the second straight week and becoming the first woman from Ireland to win a major.
All that stands in the way of the 28-year-old from Cavan is a close friend from Northern Ireland — Stephanie Meadow — and 30-year-old Jenny Shin, who no longer is just happy to be playing on the LPGA Tour. She wants to win again, badly.
Maguire birdied the final hole for her eighth straight round in the 60s to take a oneshot lead over fast-closing Shin and a two-stroke edge over Meadow on Saturday, heading into the final round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Springfield, N.J.
Maguire won last week for her second LPGA Tour victory, and her play has carried over at historic Baltusrol, the site of 12 majors. She has hit 38 of 42 fairways and 48 of 54 greens, and her 2-under-par 69 Saturday gave her a 7-under 206 total.
“I don’t think it’s any different,” Maguire said. “I think it’s one more round of golf. I have to hit one shot at a time [Sunday] and play some really good golf. It doesn’t matter that it’s a major.”
Shin tied the tournament’s best round with a bogey-free 66 that featured five birdies. The South Korean has lived in the United States since she was 9.
Meadow was alone in third place after a 68 put her at 5-under 208. She has not won on the LPGA Tour.
With the threat of severe weather for Sunday’s final round, the PGA said play will start at 8:15 a.m., and the field will be grouped in threesomes playing off both nines. The leaders are scheduled to tee off at 10:38 a.m., with Maguire and Meadow playing with Shin.
First-round leader Lee-Anne Pace (70) of South Africa and Ruoning Yin (69) of China were three shots back, and Lauren Coughlin (68) and world No. 1 Jin Young Ko (69) of South Korea were another back.
Xiyu Lin, who started the round a shot behind Maguire, slipped to 2-under 211 along with Americans Megan Khang, who is from Rockland, and Mina Harigae and Yuka Saso of Japan.
Rose Zhang, the 20-year-old who won in her professional debut earlier this month, is at 1 under after a 68, finishing with a tap-in eagle at the par-5 18th.
Several players were within striking distance heading into the third round, but struggled.
Rookie Celine Borge of Norway shot a 74 and was at 212, a shot ahead of Brooke Henderson (72) of Canada and world No. 5 Minjee Lee (75) of Australia. European — Joost Luiten carded a bogey-free 7-under 65 to tie his lowest round of the season and take a three-shot lead into the final round of the BMW International Open in Munich.
Luiten, 37, is at 14 under. Fellow Dutchman Daan Huizing is his nearest challenger after a 66. Champions — Miguel Angel Jimenez and Brett Quigley each shot 8-under 64 to share the lead with Ernie Els (65) after two rounds of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open at Endicott, N.Y. Joe Durant (69) was one shot back.
...
The future of LIV Golf has been the subject of ongoing speculation, but chief executive Greg Norman said the circuit plans to stage events in 2024.
In an e-mail to company employees obtained by The Washington Post, Norman offered the most hopeful sign to date that the Saudi-backed series plans to continue operations should its planned partnership with the PGA Tour become finalized, which probably won’t happen for several months.
“I could not be more optimistic about the opportunities ahead,” Norman said in the email sent Friday. “Our 2024 schedule is nearing completion, which will feature world-class venues both familiar and new, continuing to bring out the very best in our players.”