The Volunteers of America title is anyone’s for the taking through 54 holes, although 19-year-old Yealimi Noh is making it especially interesting.
After carding a 66 Friday, the second round’s lowest score, Noh finished Saturday even-par 71 to sit in a three-way tie for the lead at 4 under at Old American Golf Club.
Noh, who split the 36-hole lead with Anna Nordqvist and Jessica Korda, began her round with birdies on Nos. 2 and 6 and added a bogey on 8. She added another bogey on 11 to sit at even par for the day before carding birdies on 13 and 17. Looking for her first LPGA win, Noh looked as if she would carry a two-shot lead into the final round, but double-bogeyed 18 to lose her sole lead and sit tied with Inbee Park and So Yeon Ryu.
The rookie most recently finished T-39 at the Pelican Women’s Championship and T-24 at the LPGA Drive On Championship. In her 13 appearances on tour, her best finish has been a T-3 at the Cambia Portland Classic in September.
Park took a turn atop the leaderboard after back-to-back birdies on Nos. 8 and 9, but a bogey on 11 dropped her from the top spot. She finished Saturday 2 under 69.
In her first event back on the LPGA since February, Ryu carded the lowest round of the week Saturday with a 6-under 65, bouncing back from consecutive 72s at Old American. She carded five birdies on the front nine and added one more on 13 to finish bogey-free.
Nordqvist lost her share of the lead early with a bogey on No. 1, but bounced back quickly, birdieing Nos. 2 and 3 to finish the front nine 1 under. She added three more bogeys on the back nine to finish T-11 at 2 under entering Sunday.
Angela Stanford, who sat T-5 after the second round, carded three birdies in her first five holes Saturday to sit in contention for 54-hole leader, but bogeys 11 and 13 and a double on 14 sent her down the leaderboard. She rebounded back with an eagle 18 to sit T-4 at 3 under alongside six other players including first-round leader Charley Hull, Korda and World No. 1 Jin Young Ko.
Korda finished the day 1-over 72 after carding five bogeys, four on the front nine, in her third round while Ko went 1-under 70.
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