MADEIRA (Ohio) — Minjee Lee shot a 7-under-par 65 in the third round to leap to the top of leaderboard at the 2023 LPGA Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G. Lee’s 7 under was her lowest score for the day.
Lee, who began the third round six strokes behind the leader, now leads by two strokes going into the final round. CME’s World No. The LPGA’s No. 26 has the chance to add another win to her eight in eight years of being a pro.
The 27-year old Australian played a round without a single bogey on Saturday. Lee began her round by birdie, birdie, and then birdie at the first three holes.
Lee said that the three birdies gave him a bit of confidence for the remainder of the round. “Obviously, a good start is nice. And when you put it well, that also helps. I think having momentum really helps.”
Lee has yet to win a tournament in 2023. However, in her eight year career she has won both weekends where she was in the lead and weekends when she came from behind. Lee is confident that the conditions of the course will have a big impact on how Sunday plays out in Cincinnati.
She said that depending on the wind direction, pin location, and the firmness of the green, Lee would determine at game time what her best strategy will be to hold the two-stroke advantage.
Two leaders outside CME Top 100
The top 10 Queen City Championship rankings are dominated by No. Morgane Metraux, No. 107 (tied with fourth place), and Frida Kinhult, No. Frida Kinhult tied for 10th place with No. Kinhult, who was 47th, shot the second best score of the day – a 6-under-66.
Kinhult started her day off with three birdies in a row on the first three of the nine holes. She then followed that up with two pars, and two more birds to finish the front nine at 5-under. Kinhult closed her three-day total at 208 after two birdies on the back and one bogey.
Metraux of Switzerland opened her day by shooting back-to-back double bogeys at the first two holes. She then shot two more bogeys during the remainder of the front 9. Metraux, despite the four bogeys she had on her front nine, managed to score five birdies on the back nine. She finished Saturday’s 18-holes with a score of 2-under 70.
Metraux revealed her mentality at the turn. “I said, jokingly, ‘let’s make it easier for ourselves on the back-nine’.” “I made some putts and hit a couple of really good shots. It was really solid.” I didn’t hit all of my spots on the first nine holes, but I did on the second nine.
Metraux, like Lee, acknowledges that the day was unpredictable for both her and the field. She anticipates the same conditions in the final round on Sunday.
World No. World No. 2 Ruoning Yun stays near top
Yin is competing for a World No. This weekend in Cincinnati, Yin shot a 1-over-73 and fell six places from second to the T-8. Yin started her day with bogeys until the fourth hole, after which she was bogey free for the remainder of the day.
If Yin is to be CME No.1, he must finish in the top four of his individual standings. After the Kroger City Championship, Yin will be ranked No. Six strokes behind the leader, she is three strokes away from the top four.
Former champion remains firm as stars fall from the standings
- Ally Ewing is tied for 15th place after the 18-hole round on Saturday. She won the first Kroger Queen City Championship 2022. Ewing has opened consecutive Cincinnati tournaments at 3-under-69, but his pace is slower than a year ago. Ewing shot 1-under-71 on Saturday. Ewing began the day as 19th, but climbed four positions after a day of 15 pars, 2 birdies, and 1 bogey.
- LPGA star Rose Zhang is currently CME No. Golfer No. 28 shot a 1-over-73, dropping from 14th place to T-27. Zhang has shot a 5-under-211 over the three days of the weekend, which puts him three strokes outside the top 10.
- Ruixin Liu shot a 9 over 81 on Saturday, falling from second to T-47. Liu, a player who had to withdraw from previous tournaments due to allergies, is still at 1-under after three days.
