Leona eight back but looking to “post a number” as Minjee Lee leads by three
Cool customer. Australia’s Minjee Lee hits her tee shot on the third hole during the third round at the 2022 U.S. Women's Open Presented by ProMedica at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C. on Saturday, June 4, 2022. (Darren Carroll/USGA)
Leona Maguire has the game and the determination to ask leader Minjee Lee some serious questions as she bids to close a formidable eight-shot deficit in the final round of the US Women's Open at Southern Pines.
Focussed and determined, the Co Cavan star produced more outstanding mid-range putting at the North Carolina venue and carded a three-under 68 to share 10th place on five-under-par.
Only three players shot better than Maguire on day three and one of them was Australian Lee, whose four-under 67 gave her a three-stroke lead from her 36-hole co-leader Mina Harigae of the US on 13-under par.
Lee had an aura of invincibility about her on Saturday as she followed an early bogey at the fifth with five birdies - four of them in a row from the ninth hole.
Harigae shot a fine 70 to keep her victory hopes alive, but while the leading duo dominate the birdie count with 18 apiece, Maguire is the next best in the field with 15.
The Ballyconnell native (27) also knows if she can post a low number playing nearly 90 minutes ahead of the leaders on Sunday, anything can happen in golf.
"I'm quite a few shots back, but you never know," Maguire said after making five birdies and two bogeys. "Things can turn pretty quickly in a major championship. I'll just try and post a number tomorrow and see what happens."
She birdied her first hole but got little reward for most of the remainder of the front nine, dropping shots at the fourth and fifth before making birdies at the ninth, 10th, 12th and 13th, as well as a crucial ten-footer to avoid three-putting the 11th that kept her momentum going.
"I felt like the scorecard looked like I got off to a slow start, but I hit a really good shot on four and a really good shot on five and kind of got punished for them,” Maguire said of her round.
"My caddie [Dermot Byrne] was just telling me to stay really patient, and yeah, the birdie on nine gave me some good momentum heading into the back nine, and a nice birdie on 10.
"And that par putt on 11, I raced it by, and that was really massive for momentum, getting that one to drop. Twelve and 13 are two of the hardest holes out here, so it was a bonus to pick up those two."
While she's in the bottom half of the field for strokes gained off the tee, the world number 25 is ranked 11th for approach play and first for putting between 10 and 20 feet, knocking in an incredible 11 of 17 attempts - a strike rate close to 65 pc.
"I think you just have to hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens, stay really patient, cliches you expect from the US Open, but there are some chances out there," she said.
"You have to take advantage of those shorter holes and the par-5s, and there are a few other holes that you just have to take your par and know par is a good score."
She missed just four greens yesterday and admitted her improved iron play this week has been key.
"It's something I've struggled a little bit the last few weeks, but I felt like I've got it nicely dialled in," she said.
"I think you just have to be really special with your targets this week and you have to hit your shots at those targets, and I've done that really well, especially the last two days.
"There's also a lot of hybrids, my 6-hybrid, a lot of 9-woods, as well, so I can take it a little bit more conservatively off the tee on the ones I want to, knowing I can hit still those targets with those longer clubs."
She knows she can't start chasing down the leaders but simply try to put up the lowest target score possible and hope it puts them under pressure.
A spectator sports a patriotic polo shirt in the gallery during the third round at the 2022 U.S. Women's Open Presented by ProMedica at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C. on Saturday, June 4, 2022. (Jeff Haynes/USGA)
"I think it's just being really disciplined, not trying to chase after some of the pins," she said of her game plan. "They're tempting you to go after some of the pins, but it's just so penal if you miss them in the wrong spots."
Australian Lee (26) knows the pack will be chasing hard as she was in that position in last year’s Evian Championship.
She was seven shots behind 54-hole leader Lee Jeong-eun heading into the final round and shot 64 (as Maguire shot a major record 61 to finish tied sixth) before beating Jeong-eun in a playoff to claim her first major win.
Lee's 54-hole total of 13-under 200 set a new scoring record, breaking the previous mark of 201 set by Juli Inkster in 1999.
Her plan for the final round is not to defend her lead but play the same brand of golf that's worked so well thus far.
"I'm just going to try and make as many birdies as I can to give myself as many opportunities as I can on the greens," the Perth native said. "Play safe when I need to and just take one shot at a time, really."
She added: "I'm pretty calm. My personality is pretty calm anyway. I don't think I get too high or too low. I think that's a strength of mine."
Former world number one Lydia Ko shot the low round of the day, a five-under 66, to finish the day in a seven-way tie for fourth on six-under.
She's in a group that includes current World No. 1 Jin Young Ko, three-time major champion Anna Nordqvist and Swedish amateur Ingrid Lindblad, just one stroke better than Maguire.
Maguire goes out in today's final round at 5.16pm Irish time with China’s Xiyu Janet Lin.
