KUALA LUMPUR - Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul had a lights-out round of 62 to grab a share of second place behind Rose Zhang of the United States after three rounds of the Maybank Championship on Saturday at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club in Malaysia.
With her 10-birdie performance, Atthaya moved up the leaderboard to join compatriot Jasmine Suwannapura, who led through the first two rounds, on 17 under par heading into Sunday’s final round of the LPGA event.
The Thai duo were tied for the lead with Zhang heading into the final hole, before the American rookie sank a birdie to claim the solo lead.
Zhang, 20, shot a 65 after a strong start that featured five birdies on the front nine.
“I feel really great. I just feel like being able to have this opportunity to come into the final round with a little bit of a lead is really great,” said Zhang, who is bidding to win her second LPGA Tour title since turning pro in May.
“I think that going forward it’s just making sure I’m having fun, having that game plan, and enjoying every simple moment.”
Atthaya will go into the final round with confidence after an error-free Saturday. She has yet to win this season, but the 20-year-old has eleven top-10 finishes, more than any other player on the Tour. Even so, she was hesitant to talk about making a title charge.
“If it happens I would be happy,” said the former world No.1. “But if not, I’m still happy with the result for the effort I have put in this week.”
Jasmine also was satisfied with her 5-under 67 round despite losing her lead.
“Even though I didn’t hit it too close, there was still a chance to make birdie, so I never gave up,” she said.