Lee shines as Jutanugarn leads LPGA event

Chella Choi hitting a drive during the second round of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

Other notable names to make the cut include Suzann Pettersen and Amy Yang (T9, -7), Anna Nordqvist, Minjee Lee and Stacy Lewis (T20, -5), Haru Nomura (T36, -3), Morgan Pressel (T52, -2) and Michelle Wie (T63, -1).

Tournament victor in 2012, 2013 and 2015, the Kiwi world No 1 will start her final round on Monday morning (NZ time) seven shots behind tournament leader Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand.

“Sometimes I feel more confident with my irons, so I feel like this one I’ve got to make sure it’s in the fairway, so it’s good enough”, said Jutanugarn, who is now No. 2 in the Rolex women’s world golf rankings behind New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and just ahead of Brooke Henderson from Smiths Falls, Ont.

“I know the greens are super fast, so I just know I had to roll it on the green and then the green was going to do the rest”, said Leblanc.

“U.S. Open was obviously my first time that I was really up there, and I handled that really well, and I know I can handle that pressure. But this week, I don’t need that”. Henderson is tied for 21st after a second consecutive 68 following an opening 72. She made bogey on Nos. “Now I’ve got to play a couple more good rounds and see where it is on Sunday”. Even without a driver at her disposal, she’s averaging 280 yards off the tee.

“So I know I hurt my knee, so that’s why I didn’t play very good on the third round (in the Olympics)”, Jutanugarn told reporters. I’m not really care like who the leader is, like what I say yesterday.

Jutanugarn won the Women’s British Open in the event before the Olympics for her fourth victory of the year, having won three straight tournaments in May to share the tour victory lead with the top-ranked Ko. “It’s getting a lot better”. “Right now I feel like I’m playing solid, so it’s a good position going into the weekend”. “I think that’s something that’s gotten better with my game is when it’s not good, I realize, ‘OK, just keep grinding away, it’s going to change, ‘ and the last six holes were great”.

Ko will stick with her game, too, a no-brainer when you’ve been collecting LPGA Tour triumphs at record clip – she already owns 14 titles on the top circuit – and just added an Olympic silver medal to your resume.

“But I feel like I’m OK”, Jutanugarn said. I think that’s what I work for, and I kind of thrive on it.