Golf

Leona Maguire on track for top-10 finish at US Open as Minjee Lee goes three clear

Billy Horschel goes five clear of field at Memorial as Rory McIlroy slips back

Minjee Lee of Australia reacts after making a putt on the 16th green during the third round of the 77th US Women's Open at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club on in Southern Pines, North Carolina. Photograph Kevin C Cox/Getty Images)
Sun Jun 05 2022 - 10:16

Ireland’s Leona Maguire is in the frame for a top 10 finish at the US Women’s Open in North Carolina, where leader Minjee Lee set a 54-hole record on Saturday as she moved three shots in advance of the field.

The Australian carded a four-under 67 which saw her move to 13-under 200 through the first three days, breaking Juli Inkster’s record of 201 from 1999.

The seven-time LPGA Tour winner recovered from bogeying the par-three fifth hole with a birdie on the par-four sixth, then kicked up a gear with four consecutive birdies from the ninth.

“When I was on the run of birdies, I wasn’t too nervous,” Lee said. “I think coming down the stretch a little bit more, just with more people maybe, just a little bit more pressure.

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“I’m pretty calm. My personality is pretty calm anyway. I don’t think I get too high or too low. I think that’s a strength of mine.”

First-round outright leader Mina Harigae, who started Saturday tied with Lee, carded a 70 to be 10 under at Pine Needles.

A further three strokes back in third was England’s Bronte Law, who mixed five birdies with two bogeys en route to a 68, while Maguire is in a share of 10th spot at five under after her best round of the tournament, a three-under 68 that included five birdies, four of them coming in a five-hole stretch around the turn.

American Billy Horschel was in prime position to claim victory in the Memorial Tournament after surging up the leaderboard to take a five-stroke lead in Ohio.

The former FedEx champion carded a bogey-free 65 at Muirfield Village Golf Club to be 13-under par for the tournament as he moved in advance of compatriot Aaron Wise and world number three Cameron Smith of Australia.

“It’s just going through our process, making sure we have a number where we’re trying to land the ball, talking about the shot, the club selection, the wind,” Horschel said.

“When we do that, it allows me to have a clearer picture and have a little bit more of a higher acceptance level over the golf shot.”

Wise and Smith were at eight under after respective rounds of 69 and 72, followed one shot back by American Daniel Berger, Francesco Molinari of Italy and Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas.

Rory McIlroy had consecutive bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes, as well as another on the par-three eighth, to go with his pair of birdies en route to carding a 73 to have him at four under.

IShane Lowry was a further shot behind at three under, Englishman Aaron Rai mixed seven birdies with four bogeys to be at one under along with a pack that included former world number one Jon Rahm and Scot Martin Laird who was at even-par after a round of 71.