Angel Yin and Jeeno Thitikul take a three-shot lead heading into the final round of the CME Group Tour Championship, with England’s Charley Hull four shots behind.
Yin threatened to build a commanding lead on day three at Tiburon Golf Club, Florida until Thitikul finished with an eagle and a birdie for a nine-under 63 to share the lead ahead of Sunday’s final round.
Yin shot 69 after another day of big putts and one chip-in from some 60 feet for eagle on the par-five sixth put her comfortably ahead.
She holed a 30-footer on the eighth hole, another birdie from about 25 feet on the ninth hole and another one from the 30-foot range on the 12th.
Thitikul seemed to be an afterthought until she lit it up on the back nine. The Thai started the back nine with three straight bogeys, but she made up quick ground at the end with her eagle on the reachable par-five 17th and a birdie on the closing hole.
Charley Hull is four shots off the lead after shooting a third-round 66
The birdie briefly gave her the lead until Yin made birdie on the 17th to join her tied on 15-under at the top of the leaderboard, three shots ahead of Ruoning Yin, who birdied her last two for a third-round 66.
England’s Hull shot seven birdies as her round of 66 left her at 11-under alongside Narin An of South Korea.
Nelly Korda, who got back into the mix on Friday after a sluggish start, lost ground with a 69 on a pleasant day that left her six shots back going into the final round.
Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland
Korda has come from behind to win four of her seven LPGA titles this year but replicating that in Florida appears to be a tall order.
At stake is the richest purse in women’s golf, with the winner landing $4 million, nearly as much as Korda has made all year in her seven-victory season.
Watch the final round of the CME Group Tour Championship, from Naples in Florida, live on Sky Sports Golf from 6pm on Saturday or stream with NOW.
