Rookie sensation Rose Zhang will hold the second overnight lead of her LPGA Tour career after a well fought battle for the top spot on Saturday at the Maybank Championship. The last time the 20-year-old held a 54-hole lead on Tour, she walked away a Rolex First-Time Winner and the newest LPGA Tour member following her professional debut at the Mizuho Americas Open. And now, the American is playing even better than ever having set three new career-low scores on the LPGA Tour at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club. Her Thursday and Saturday 65s are new career-low rounds on Tour, her two day score of 133 is a new 36-hole record for the rookie and her 54-hole total of 198 is another new low. With one day left to play in Malaysia, she will look to continue the trend and earn her second LPGA Tour victory in just her 12th start this season.
“I feel really great. I just feel like being able to have this opportunity to come into the final round with a little bit of a lead is really great,” Rose said of her positions heading into Championship Sunday. “I think that going forward it's just making sure I'm having fun, having that game plan, and enjoying every single moment.”
Zhang’s third-round lead was not easily earned on Saturday. Not only did she have to battle the 100-degree heat and humidity, but also her playing partner Jasmine Suwannapura, who held both the first- and second-round lead at the Maybank Championship. The two matched each other nearly shot-for-shot on Saturday starting from the very beginning of the day. Suwannapura made three birdies in a row on holes 1, 2 and 3 while Zhnag had a streak of her own on No. 2, 3 and 4. On 7, the golfers landed the same spot on the green with their approach shots, each left with a nearly 25-foot downhill putt for birdie. The Thai went first, hitting the perfect stroke right on line, but the putt stopped just on the lip. Getting a read off Suwannapura, Zhang sank the long birdie putt to take the lead for the first time.
Suwannapura made up for her missed putt on 7 with a bolder birdie putt on 8, but bogeyed No. 9 where Zhang birdied. The American took a two-stroke lead with another birdie on 10, but Suwannapura caught up with birdies on 12 and 13. Zhang dropped a shot on No. 14, which played as the hardest hole of the day, but got it back on 15 to re-take a share of the lead. Tied at -17 overall with Suwannapura and Atthaya Thitikul heading onto the last hole, Zhang’s approach shot over the bunker on No. 18 made the difference. She sank a 10-footer to take the solo lead, finishing the day with a 7-under 65.
“It was incredible. I say this every week, but I feel like I'm learning so much from all the professionals out here on tour. They really show they're world class, and Jasmine, I never expected anything less,” said Zhang of her battle on Saturday. “It was really incredible to watch, and I feel like I'm still learning so there is just much to improve on, and I'm really happy that I'm able to fight alongside the best in the world.”
Suwannapura finished with a 5-under 67 on Saturday and sits in a tie for second with fellow Thai golfer Atthaya Thitikul. Thitikul shot the low-round of the week on Moving Day, besting Suwannapura’s first-round 63 with a 10-under 62 on Saturday. It is Thitikul’s lowest round of the year and her sixth round of 65 or less this season. Having made just one bridie and 17 pars the day before, Thitikul was relieved to score some bridies and put herself into contention once again. She has yet to win this season, but the 20-year-old has come close with 11 top-10 finishes this year, the most of any other player.
“I tried to be on the positive side, which is like at least I'm bogey-free for yesterday. Yeah, also, I mean, like trying to give myself a lot of chance to make a birdie or make a putt. It's kind of frustrating when you're not making putts while you're hitting good,” Thitikul said. “Yeah, it's good when you're not making a bogey, but everyone out here can make a birdie, which is like kind of strategy. Like you can make a bogey but also you have to make a lot of birdies. Instead of if you have bogey-free but just you only have one birdie like I did yesterday, it's not going to work.”
Korean golfer Sei Young Kim holds the solo fourth place spot at -15 and three strokes out of the lead. Three players are tied for fifth including Nasa Hataoka, Megan Khang and Peiyun Chien. Malaysian golfer Natasha Andrea Oon continues to lead the six other Malaysians in the field. She is -2 overall.
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