Leona Maguire will begin her final round at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in the lead on 7-under par with fellow Irishwoman Stephanie Meadow lurking just two shots behind.
Maguire, who held the lead at the halfway point after a blistering round of 68 on Friday to move ahead of the chasing pack, started with a bang when she opened her third round with a Birdie. A second Birdie followed on the Par-5 seventh as she moved to 7-under par.
The Cavan native gave that shot back with a sloppy Bogey on 11 before picking up another Birdie at 15. She found trouble off the tee on the Par-5 17 and failed to get up-and-down out of the bunker to save her par.
But she bounced back in serious style and showed the same grit that helped her win the Meijer PGA Championship just a week ago. After splitting the fairway with her drive on the Par-5 18th, the 28-year-old let fly with a fairway wood and hit the heart of the green leaving her a simple two-putt for Birdie.
That Birdie took Maguire to 7-under once again as she recorded a staggering seventh round in a row in the 60’s. She leads Jenny Shin by one shot after the 30-year-old shot a sensational 5-under on Saturday.
Remarkably, Maguire isn’t the only Irish star in contention on Sunday as Antrim native Meadow carded a stunning 67 to get to 5-under par, just shots behind the leader Maguire. The 31-year-old, who has never won on tour, had five Birdies for her round and she sits in third position before play on Sunday.
It’s all shaping up to be a special Sunday of golf as Maguire and Meadow bid to become the first women from Ireland to win a major Championship.
