Grace Kim slips but still in LPGA title hunt

Australia’s Grace Kim has left herself with a big task if she’s to win the LPGA Tour’s Portland Classic while former champion Andrea Lee showed her affinity with the course.

Lee, the 2022 winner, shot a five-under 67 third round to get to 19 under and lead by one stroke from Dutchwoman Dewi Weber (70) and fellow American Alexa Pano (66) on Saturday.

Kim was right in the hunt after opening scores of 66, 65 but she followed with a topsy-turvy 70 to drop to tied ninth, four shots behind Lee going into the closing round.

Seeking a second LPGA win, 23-year-old Kim stumbled from the outset on Saturday with a double bogey on the opening hole and also had two bogeys along with an eagle and four birdies.

The 25-year-old Lee is also chasing a second LPGA win as she enjoys the return to the Columbia Edgewater course.

“Obviously, I love this golf course,” Lee said. “I feel really comfortable out here. Had a really solid day. Just played really steady golf. Managed to get some putts to drop on the front nine.”

American Angel Yin (66) and Germany’s Polly Mack (69) were tied fourth, two shots from the lead, with Thailand’s Moriya Jutunugarn (64) and Russia’s Natliya Guseva (64) a further shot back.

Robyn Choi shot a 70 to be next-best Australian, tied 15th at 12 under, with Gabriela Ruffels (71, 9 under) and Hira Naveed (71, 8 under) further back.

Weber, the second-round leader after a 62, is trying to win for the first time on the LPGA Tour and sending a statement to the Dutch Olympic committee that it was a mistake by declining to send her to Paris.

“I just got to make good swings, good strokes, not under-read the putts and like see if they go in,” said Weber, making only her second LPGA Tour start of the year. “That’s truly all I can do.”

She qualified for the Olympics under International Golf Federation standards, but was left out because of the Netherlands’ separate standards for all sports to meet a realistic chance of a top-eight finish.

With the Olympic women’s tournament next week, no one from the top 30 in the world ranking is in the field. The lone Olympian in the field is Aditi Ashok of India. She was tied for 12th at 14 under after a 65.

– with AAP