Leona Maguire is on course for her best Major finish since 2022 as she moved into a tie for sixth at the Women’s PGA Championship on a day of tough scoring conditions.
The Cavan golfer is eight shots behind Australian Minjee Lee, who fired a three-under-par 69 on Saturday, her second round under par, to take a commanding four-stroke lead going into the final round.
Maguire has a tough start to her third round with a double bogey at the second and a bogey at the fifth. But she battled back and got momentum going from the seventh hole, finishing her final 12 holes in three under.
“I feel like I’ve been actually playing really well for four, five weeks now. I’ve been sort of telling my team and everybody I’m playing better than I’m scoring, and I feel like this week it’s kind of come together a bit nicer,” Maguire said.
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“I like hard golf courses. I always have. I like the challenge. This one is a challenge for sure, and it’s nice to be able to execute the shots that I want to.
“I grew up in Ireland, grew up in the wind. You just have to like you said embrace the challenge knowing you’re going to have to aim 20 yards right for the ball to come back or hold it up if you want to. You just have to be that little bit more creative.”
Minjee Lee is pursuing her third Major title, having previously won the 2022 US Women’s Open and the 2021 Amundi Evian Championship.
World number two Jeeno Thitikul enjoyed a three-stroke lead coming into the weekend but fell back to second with a four-over 76.
World number one Nelly Korda is on two over alongside Maguire, while Lexi Thompson is one shot better on one over.
On the PGA Tour, Tommy Fleetwood opened up a three-shot lead at the Travelers Championship to raise hopes of a maiden PGA Tour victory.
The Englishman fired a flawless 63, including five birdies and an eagle at the par-five 13th, to reach 16 under par, three clear of American pair Russell Henley and Keegan Bradley going into Sunday’s final round at TPC River Highlands in Connecticut.
Rory McIlroy covered the outward nine in 31 to move to nine under par and put his name high on the leaderboard.
But the Masters champion took six at the par-four 12th and a birdie at the 15th was quickly cancelled out by a dropped shot at the next.
McIlroy starts the final day tied for eighth among a group which includes Scheffler.
