For the second time in as many weeks, Patty Tavatanakit has a three-shot lead heading into the final round. Déjà vu?
Playing in her home country, the 24-year-old shot 6-under 66 on Saturday at Siam Country Club Old Course in Chonburi, Thailand, to move three clear of the field with 18 holes to play. Last week, she did the same at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International on the Ladies European Tour en route to her first victory in more than three years.
This week, for the first time since 2021, Tavatanakit has carded three straight rounds in the 60s and sits at 16 under, three shots clear of Madelene Sagstrom.
“I’m really proud of my performance today,” Tavatanakit said. “It’s getting very tiring, exhausting in the heat. I’m just going to conserve my energy and take on the challenge tomorrow.”
Tavatanakit had about as strong a start as she could’ve hoped, carding four birdies and an eagle in the first seven holes. She bogeyed the par-4 11th but bounced back with a birdie on the 15th and cruised to the clubhouse for a 66.
“There is a lot of obligations so far this week,” Tavatanakit said. “I feel like I didn’t really have time to prepare, but I came into this week with an open mindset of like learning this position that I’m in coming into a home event, being last week’s champion. There is a lot of pressure, but I can look at it as an encouragement for me to feel happy to play in front of my fans.”
Sagstrom, a 36-hole co-leader, was even on her first nine holes but went 3 under on the back nine, including a closing eagle to pull her within three of Tavatanakit.
“Patty is playing beautifully,” Sagstrom said. “She it hitting the ball lovely, and she is putting even better. She left a few putts short today and she could have gone really low today. I think you kind of know that to really have a chance for tomorrow, you have to play good golf. You don’t really do that by comparing yourself to somebody else or trying to react on their games. All I need to do is get my own zone and out of my own way.”
Hye-Jin Choi, Emily Kristine Pederson and Hyo Joo Kim are tied for third at 12 under. There’s a big group at 11 under, including Brooke Henderson, Albane Valenzuela and amateur Suvichaya Vinijchaitham.
World No. 1 Lilia Vu is T-16 at 9 under.
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