Lottie Woad stayed one shot behind Jing Yan after a four-under 68 in the third round of the Meijer LPGA Classic at Blythefield Country Club. Woad reached 13 under and will go into Sunday in the final pairing with Yan, with the lead still within reach.
Lottie Woad at 13 under
Woad made seven birdies and three bogeys in her third-round 68. That left the England golfer at 13 under, one back after Jing Yan finished with a birdie on 18 to hold the lead at 14 under.
She is chasing a second LPGA Tour win in three starts after winning the LPGA Tour's Kroger Queen City Championship last month. Woad said, "I've been in a few final groups now and it's gone my way on a couple occasions," and added, "I think just trying to get off to a good start, get back ahead and push early and just keep putting the pressure on, is what we're going to try to do."
Jing Yan keeps the edge
Yan’s round was built differently. She carded a 68 of her own and finished with her second bogey-free round, which gave her the one-stroke advantage after Woad had matched her at 13 under earlier in the round.
The gap was tight enough that Woad stayed in contention despite the three bogeys. Yan’s late birdie on 18 was the separating shot, and it preserved her lead into the final round while she chased a maiden LPGA Tour title.
Meijer LPGA Classic pressure
The leaderboard has a clear next step: Woad and Yan are set to play together on Sunday. Cassie Porter sits two strokes back after a third-round 69, while Wei-Ling Hsu, In Gee Chun and Yan Liu are four behind Yan on 10 under.
The tournament is the final event before the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, so the final round carries more than one leaderboard battle. Woad is still close enough to turn a one-shot deficit into a second win, but Yan takes the edge into the last day.
