Jutanugarn Holds 54-Hole Lead

It took only nine holes for Ariya Jutanugarn to take the lead on Saturday afternoon at the U.S. Women’s Open conducted by the USGA. Jutanugarn trailed 36-hole leader Sarah Jane Smith by two-strokes after wrapping up the second round Saturday morning due to a weather delay Friday. The eight-time LPGA Tour winner played alongside Smith and Su Oh, both still in search of their first win on Tour. Jutanugarn fired a 5-under par, 67 to turn her two-stroke deficit into a 4-stroke lead heading into the final round. She leads Smith at 8-under par. Hyo Joo Kim sits solo third at 6-under par.

“We had so much fun. I feel like I played with two of the nicest players on Tour,” Jutanugarn said about her playing partners. “We have been rooting for each other every hole.”

The former Rolex Rankings world No. 1 has been trending towards a major victory in 2018. The Thai has 8 top 10s in 13 starts this season and picked up her first win of the year two-weeks ago at the Kingsmill Championship.

It’s tough to imagine anyone catching Jutanugarn on Sunday. This is the 10th time Jutanugarn has held the 54-hole lead on the LPGA Tour. She’s won 7 of the 9 times she’s led going into the final round, including the Ricoh Women’s British Open, where she held a two-stroke lead and went on to win by three for her first major title.

“I haven’t had this situation for a while,” Jutanugarn said about her lead. “I’m pretty sure tomorrow is going to be a good day, even like I don’t know what the outcome is going to be, but I know what I’m going to take action on.”

Sarah Jane Smith of Australia watches her tee shot on the second hole during the thrid round of the 2018 U.S. Women's Open

Superstitious Smith

For the last three nights, Sarah Jane Smith and her husband, Duane, have eaten Thai food. When asked if she’s superstitious, Sarah says she’s not “ridiculous with food and things,” but after she ate Thai food Wednesday night, and then took the lead the following day at the U.S. Women’s Open, the Smiths figured they’d better stick with Thai as long as they were having success. But when Smith posted her first over par round of the week with a 73 on Saturday to drop out of the lead, the Smiths were eager to change their dinner plans.

“I love Thai, it’s one of my favorite foods,” Smith said after her round. “I’m kind of relieved I don’t have to have it tonight.”

There are other things that Sarah Jane is superstitious about, too. Two-weeks ago she began using an Australian penny as a ball marker. It was a gift from her grandfather, who she refers affectionally to as Pa. He gave her a bag of coins when she was 8-years-old, including a special one with a kangaroo on top that she uses to mark her ball.

“I had been using a regular penny for five or six years,” said Sarah Jane. “I was like, ‘I’m going to Pa’s coin.' Now, I have a half penny. It’s the second week in, so it’s going good.”

Pa passed away several years ago, but he’ll be with her Sunday as she tries to overcome a four-stroke deficit to beat the Thai player at the top of the leaderboard.

“I have nothing to lose tomorrow,” said Sarah Jane. “Hopefully I can go into tomorrow with that little but more confidence, not knowing this morning how I was going to handle [the nerves].”

Saturday night, the Smiths bounced around the possibility of returning to the Little Donkey, a local Mexican restaurant, where they ate earlier in the week.

Sagstrom’s Self-Help Pays Off

For the last month Madlene Sagstrom has been on a hiatus from social media. The break has given the Swede an opportunity to focus more on her golf, and the re-dedication is paying off. Saturday, Sagstrom made a move up the leaderboard with a 2-under par, 70 to sit at 4-under par heading into Sunday's final round.

“I was really feeling the butterflies on the first tee this morning,” said Sagstrom. “I was like, ‘this is what I play for.’”

In addition to her recommitment to her game, Sagstrom, a self-described ‘self-help’ nerd is listening to an audio meditation book. The second-year LPGA Tour member loves finding ways to challenge her mind and her golf, and is always looking for ways to improve.

“There’s always something you can do better, so I think that’s the biggest charm of the game,” said Sagstrom. “You can never be too good at this. That’s what inspires me to become the best player I can be every day.”

Sagstrom is playing in her third U.S. Women’s Open this week at Shoal Creek, where she looks to pick up her first top 10 finish of 2018.

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