Minjee Lee overtakes Jeeno Thitikul, Pauline Roussin-Bouchard 26th

While the field had already been put to the test during the first two rounds of this Women's PGA Championship , the remaining competitors were particularly shaken up by the Fields Ranch East layout and the wind on Saturday's moving day. So much so that, of the 78 players who managed to make the cut in Texas, only three beat the layout this Saturday: Andrea Lee (26th, +6), Grace Kim (10th, +3 total), author of a card of 68 (six birdies, two bogeys), the best of the day, and Minjee Lee.

Despite gusts that flirted with 50km/h, the Australian made her experience (ten wins on the LPGA Tour, two Majors) speak for itself, in the bunkers (three perfectly negotiated outings) or on the greens (26 putts) and achieved the feat of not conceding a bogey during this third round. At the end of a battle that lasted nearly 5h30, the winner of the Amundi Evian Championship 2021 signed a score of 69 (three birdies) and took the lead (-6 total).

" I tried to stay patient. You can't get carried away, especially in these conditions. It's getting harder and harder with the pressure of a Major and the course demanding a lot of you. I tried to stay true to myself and play every shot as best I could. I took things as they came ," reacted Lee, who is four shots ahead of Jeeno Thitikul (2nd, -2), going into the final sprint. Leading since Thursday, the latter was largely disrupted by the gusts. Not helped by hesitant putting, the Thai recorded a score of 76 (two birdies, six bogeys).

Hye-Jin Choi, Miyu Yamashita, and Lexi Thompson follow in third place (+1). Weighed down by a triple bogey early on, the American posted a round of 75 (two bogeys, two birdies later). Leona Maguire, Yealimi Noh, Chisato Iwai, and Nelly Korda occupy sixth place (+2). After an eventful day (five birdies, five bogeys), the Floridian secured par.

For her part, Pauline Roussin-Bouchard held her own for a long time this Saturday. While she didn't make a birdie, the Frenchwoman was impressively solid and didn't make a bogey... on her first seventeen holes. However, on the 18th, she was penalized for a misplaced tee shot in the rough and an overly long approach. The 24-year-old, who is playing in her second Women's PGA Championship, still managed a solid 73 and finished in 26th place.