Stephanie Meadow was pleased with a “really solid” round as she moved inside the top-10 heading into the final day of the KPMG PGA Championship as she looks to record her best Major finish since the 2014 US Open.
The Galgorm touring pro will even be disappointed she isn’t higher up the leaderboard as a late double-bogey at Congressional Country Club saw her slip out of a share of fifth, with a level-par 72 in her third round leaving her two-under-par for the tournament and tied-10th.
Meadow is likely too far back to catch Korea’s In Gee Chun, who is still on for a wire-to-win in Maryland despite a three-over 75 dropping her back towards the chasing pack at eight-under, with her lead over three players tied for second cut to three shots.
But the 30-year-old will still be pleased she is in a position to be in with a chance on Sunday as she bounced back from a bogey on her opening hole by hitting 17 of 18 greens and recording three birdies, but a poor chip and three-putt on the par-four 15th cost her two shots and left her where she started the day.
“I played really solid. I probably missed more than one green, but I was on the fringe. I really only chipped once, and I ended up making double. That’s just a tricky hole, and I missed it kind of in the worst spot possible,” she lamented.
“But other than that, very happy. Obviously I wish I could have finished at 2, but it is what it is. I just hope that I can kind of squeeze my way in somewhere. (In Gee) is way out, but this is a golf course where you just never know.”
Chun also had a late double-bogey, hers coming at the par-five 16th, which saw her fall back to eight-under after a 75 having started the day at 11-under, and her lead has been slashed in half from six shots to three.
Lexi Thompson was solid behind her, four birdies and two bogeys in a 70 taking her up to five-under-par alongside Hye-Jin Choi, who also shot a 70, and Sei Young Kim, who had a 71, as the Korean’s closest rivals.
It was not a favourable day for Leona Maguire, however, as the Cavan woman went the wrong way on moving day, a wild five-over 77 dropping her to seven-over-par for the tournament and into a share of 64th.
The 27-year-old, who started on the 10th, had been hanging on bravely after a wild front nine saw her rack up five bogeys and just two birdies, but hopes that she could rescue her round collapsed when she quadruple-bogeyed the par-four third.
Back-to-back bogeys did rescue her score slightly, but Maguire, despite her remarkable comeback at last week’s Meijer LPGA Classic, is now battling just to improve her final position as opposed to challenging for a potential first Major.
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