Maguire ten back as Koerstz Madsen seeks maiden LPGA win in Thailand
Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Denmark lines up her putt on the 16th green during the third round of Honda LPGA Thailand at Siam Country Club Pattaya Old Course on March 12, 2022 in Pattaya, Thailand. (Photo by Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty Images)
LEONA MAGUIRE fought back from an early double-bogey but a three-under 69 left her ten shots off the lead and five strokes outside the top 10 heading into the final round of the Honda LPGA Thailand.
The world number 19 started with a birdie four at the first but after taking six at the par-four third, she made five birdies and a bogey to finish on 11-under par.
She fell four places to tied 26th as Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen followed rounds of 65 and 64 with a 66 to lead one stroke on 21-under from China’s Xiyu Lin and France’s Celine Boutier, who shot rounds of 66 and 67 at Siam Country Club’s Pattaya Old Course.
Koerstz Madsen is seeking her maiden LPGA win and she is well placed having set a new 54-hole scoring record for the tournament, shaving one stroke off Jessica Korda’s 2018 mark.
"I'm happy with the round,” said the Dane, who has two runner-up finishes in her LPGA Tour career. "Would have liked to make a couple more putts or at least get it to the hole, but I'm happy with the round overall."
She’s hoping to improve on her last 54-hole lead on the PGA TOUR, which came in last year’s AIG Women's Open, where she was tied for the lead with Anna Nordqvist through 54 holes at Carnoustie.
Still tied with her European Solheim Cup teammate on the 72nd hole, Koerstz Madsen's mis-struck approach, shot followed by a devastating shank out of a greenside bunker forced her to settle for tied fifth.
"It would be amazing winning a first LPGA event," said Koerstz Madsen, a three-time Epson Tour winner. "That's what I play for, so that would be just awesome."
Like Koerstz Madsen, Lin is looking for the first win of her LPGA Tour career and could join Shanshan Feng as the only Tour winners from the People's Republic of China while Boutier is looking for a third LPGA Tour win that would make her the most successful French player in history.
"Front nine was pretty average, and then back nine I was just like keep telling myself to be patient, it's going to come," said Lin. "It was a good little row, like four birdies in a row, and then also nice to finish with another birdie. So I think I put myself in a really good position for tomorrow.”
Halfway leaders Nasa Hataoka and Su Oh had contrasting days.
Hataoka of Japan shot 70 to share fourth with Mexico's Gaby Lopez and Canadian Brooke Henderson on 18-under.
Australian star Oh was four over for her third round before she birdied three of her last five holes and shot 73 to share 11th on 15-under.
