JUTANUGARN, YANG EMERGE AT TOP THRU 54 HOLES
Ariya Jutanugarn and Amy Yang lead the pack at 8-under par thru 54 holes after facing extremely windy conditions on Saturday at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open. Playing in the final group, both players shot 2-over par 73 in the third round to hold a one-stroke advantage over Minjee Lee (-7), with fellow LPGA winners Haeji Kang (-6), So Yeon Ryu (-6) and Carlota Ciganda (-5) close behind.
A DIFFERENT DAY
Only 18 of the 80 players in the field shot under par in the third round at Gullane Golf Club. The third round scoring average (73.180) was nearly two strokes higher than the second round (71.217) and almost a full stroke above the first round (72.309).
No players in the final seven groups of the day shot under par Saturday – Minjee Lee’s round of even par 71 made her the only player in the final three groups of the day that didn’t shoot over par.
EARLY PLAYERS TAKE ADVANTAGE
Nine players who started outside the top 10 on the leaderboard going into the third round finished the day at T10 or better and within five shots of the lead. Jin Young Ko (T7, -4) and Carlota Ciganda (6, -5) finished the highest of those players thanks to tee times more than two hours earlier than the final group.
The largest move of the day came from Australian Sarah Kemp, who vaulted 57 spots up the leaderboard from 67th to T10 thanks to a 4-under par 67, the lowest round in the field on Saturday.
BIRTHDAYS ON THE LINKS
Co-leader Amy Yang turned 29-years-old on Saturday – something she needed to be reminded of when she arrived at the golf course ahead of her tee time.
Yang said, “When I went on to the golf course, I totally forgot it was just my birthday. I just focused how I'm going to play, but you know, a lot of people wished me a happy birthday today. Wonderful day, yeah.”
July 28 is also Moriya Jutanugarn’s birthday, who celebrated with a 3-under par 68 to move up to T17.
TOUGH DAY FOR 36-HOLE LEADER
American Tiffany Joh (T7, -4) led the Ladies Scottish Open thru the first and second rounds, but a round of 9-over par 80 on Saturday will have her chasing leaders Amy Yang and Ariya Jutanugarn in the final round.
Joh will need to come from four shots back to get her first career victory, a margin that two players have overcome this season to win (Annie Park, ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer; Sung Hyun Park, KPMG Women’s PGA Championship). Michelle Wie’s five-stroke come-from-behind victory at the HSBC Women’s World Championship is the largest of 2018.
WITH A WIN…
Ariya Jutanugarn would earn her tenth LPGA victory, tying for 49th on the LPGA Official Career Wins list with Paula Creamer and Mary Lena Faulk
Jutanugarn would jump back to No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, a spot she held for two weeks in June of 2017
Amy Yang would secure her fourth career LPGA win and become the seventh different Korean player to win on the LPGA in 2018
Minjee Lee would record her fifth career win and second of the season, joining Jutanugarn (two) and Sung Hyun Park (two) as players with multiple victories in 2018
PLAYER NOTES
Rolex Rankings No. 3 Ariya Jutanugarn (T1, -8)
Jutanugarn holds at least a share of the lead heading into the final round for the 11th time in her LPGA career and third time this year
Jutanugarn has won her last eight where she held at least a share of the 54-hole lead
Jutanugarn is a 9-time LPGA winner and one of two players with multiple wins on the 2018 season
Jutanugarn is the current leader in the Rolex Player of the Year, Race to CME Globe and Rolex ANNIKA Major Award standings and ranks first on the 2018 Official Money List ($1,797,765)
Jutanugarn and Brooke Henderson are the only players with wins in 2016, 2017 and 2018
Jutanugarn won the 2016 Rolex Player of the Year, Vare Trophy and Race to the CME Globe after a Tour-leading five-win season; she was the first player from Thailand to win on the LPGA
Rolex Rankings No. 27 Amy Yang (T1, -8)
Yang holds at least a share of the lead heading into the final round for the seventh time in her career – two of her three wins have come when leading going into the final round
Yang’s 36-hole total of 132 tied her career-low (2016 Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia)
All three of Yang’s LPGA victories have come in Asia (two in Thailand, one in Korea); she has three additional wins on the LET (Sweden, Germany, Australia) and one additional win on the KLPGA (Korea)
Yang has six top-15 finishes in 12 starts in 2018 and finished T3 and T11 in her last two starts
Yang finished T4 at the 2016 Rio Olympics representing the Republic of Korea
Rolex Rankings No. 11 Minjee Lee (3, -7)
Lee is a four-time LPGA winner with a win (LPGA Volvik Championship) and seven additional top-10 finishes in 2018
Lee won the Oates Victorian Open on the ALPG twice (2014, 2018) – the event was co-sanctioned by the LET this year
Lee ranks fourth all-time in LPGA wins by Australian players behind Karrie Webb (41), Jan Stephenson (16) and Rachel Hetherington (8)
Lee finished T7 at the 2016 Rio Olympics representing the Australia
Lee was the number one ranked amateur golfer in the world before turning professional in 2014
OF NOTE
18 of the 80 players who made the cut finished under par on Saturday
The par 4 7th hole has played as the toughest thru three rounds, averaging 4.347 strokes
Carlota Ciganda leads the field in driving distance average 294.7 yards this week
Sophia Popov had a hole-in-one on the par-3 8th hole using a pitching wedge from 151 yards
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