Miami (AFP) – Sweden’s Linn Grant fired five birdies in a five-under par 65 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead over Jennifer Kupcho after three rounds of the LPGA Annika at Pelican tournament in Belleair, Florida. Grant hit 12 of 14 fairways and 17 of 18 greens in regulation on the way to a 54-hole total of 14-under 196. Kupcho also carded a bogey-free five-under 65 for a 13-under total of 197.
Grant put herself in position to strike for a second LPGA title, to go with the Dana Open crown she won in 2023. “I’m sitting in a very uncomfortable but very nice spot,” Grant said. “Tomorrow I’m just going to go out and kind of try to do the same. I really like this course. I think it suits my game very well. I’m hitting the ball very good, especially into the greens, so I am hitting a lot of greens and giving myself a lot of opportunities,” added the 26-year-old, who is a six-time winner on the Ladies European Tour.
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Starting the day with a share of the lead after an impressive seven-under second round, Grant nabbed birdies at the fifth, sixth, and ninth to push her lead to two strokes. She had a one-stroke lead after a birdie at the 13th as Kupcho kept the pressure on with her fourth birdie of the day at the same hole. Grant got up and down for birdie from a greenside bunker at the 14th where Kupcho settled for a par. But Kupcho pulled within one with an impressive birdie at the 17th, where her second shot tracked the flagstick and left her a tap-in birdie.
“I was kind of nervous going into today,” admitted 28-year-old American Kupcho, whose four LPGA wins include a major title at the 2022 Chevron Championship. “I think it kind of took me a while to kind of get my bearings on the front nine, but kind of settled down five, six holes in and started making putts after that.” On Sunday, Kupcho will be chasing her second title of the season, after a win at the ShopRite Classic in June.
Overnight co-leader Grace Kim of Australia, who won her first major at the Evian Championship in July, was tied for third on 11-under after a two-under 68. She was joined on 199 by Russian Nataliya Guseva, who carded seven birdies in her last 10 holes in a sparkling seven-under 63.
– Ryu rebounds – First-round leader Ryu Hae-ran of South Korea shook off a triple-bogey seven at the par-four sixth, making seven birdies the rest of the way and signing for a two-under par 68 for 10-under 200. She was joined in fifth place by American Lucy Li, who posted a 65, and Mexico’s Gaby Lopez, who shot 67. World number two and defending champion Nelly Korda had a share of eighth on eight-under 202. Korda had made a big move on Friday with a 63 but managed only a two-under 68 on Saturday and was tied with Germany’s Esther Henseleit (67) six shots off the lead.
Korda’s victory last year in this event, the penultimate tournament of the season, made her the first player in 13 years to win seven titles in a season but she has yet to win in 2025.
© 2024 AFP
