Lee Charges into 54-Hole Lead at Pine Needles

Southern Pines, North Carolina, United States: When she successfully defended her US Women’s Open title in 2001 at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club, Karrie Webb ran away from a stellar field to produce an eight-stroke victory.

Now a fellow Australian with close ties to the World Golf Hall of Famer is threatening to do the same thing on the same Donald Ross layout in the 77th US Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica.

Minjee Lee, who broke through for her first Major victory last July at the Amundi Evian Championship and added a seventh LPGA Tour title last month in New Jersey, used a run of four consecutive birdies on the way to a four-under-par 67 to take a three-shot lead over fellow 36-hole leader Mina Harigae.

Lee’s 54-hole total of 200 (13-under) eclipsed Juli Inkster’s record of 201, set in 1999 at Old Waverly Golf Club.

“I'm just going to stick to what I know,” said Lee. “I've been to plenty of US Opens and been in pressure situations like this before. Just take away my experience from the other events and the other Opens and try and get it done tomorrow.”

Lee, the number four player in the Rolex Rankings, appeared poised to run away from Harigae midway through the round. Birdies on nine (nine feet), 10 (11 feet), 11 (eight feet) and 12 (13 feet) – coupled with Harigae bogeys on 11 and 12 – enabled Lee to build a four-stroke cushion that was trimmed to three by day’s end.

That could be significant since the last five players to carry a lead of four or more strokes into the final round all hoisted the Harton S. Semple Trophy. That includes Webb at Pine Needles in 2001 when she was the only competitor to finish 72 holes under par (seven-under 277) and turned a five-stroke, third-round lead into a rout.

When she claimed the Evian title, Lee posted weekend rounds of 65-64, then prevailed in a play-off. In fact, in all seven of her LPGA Tour victories, Lee has not shot lower than 70 on the final day.

If form holds, that means Harigae and other pursuers will need a round in the 60s on Sunday to beat Lee.

Bronte Law’s third consecutive sub-70 round left the Englishwoman six strokes back at seven-under 206. Two-time Major champion and former world number one Lydia Ko is among six players seven behind. Ko got into contention with a third-round 66.

Ingrid Lindblad, of Sweden, who is bidding to become the second amateur champion, 55 years after Catherine Lacoste, also is six back after an even-par 71. World number two Nelly Korda, making her first start in four months after undergoing surgery for a blood clot, bogeyed her final three holes to fall nine back.

When Lee was rising in the amateur ranks, she earned the coveted Karrie Webb Scholarship, which enabled her and fellow recipient Su Oh to travel to the United States and spend time with Webb at her rental home while she competed in the 2013 US Women’s Open at Sebonack Golf Club in New York.

That was a year after Lee claimed the US Girls’ Junior title at Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City, California, and a year before she qualified for her first US Women’s Open at Pinehurst No 2, just a few miles from Pine Needles.

This week, Lee didn’t seek Webb out for any advice on Pine Needles, although she has received encouragement via texts. Rounds of 67-66 got her a spot in Saturday’s final pairing, and after a hiccup on the par-three fifth hole, Lee birdied six then started her four-hole birdie run on nine.

“I didn't really think about how Mina was playing,” said Lee. “I was just trying to make as many birdies as I could just to try and post a good score.”

Despite being five years older, Harigae was in uncharted waters entering the third round. Before this week’s championship, the 2007 US Women’s Amateur Public Links champion had never broken 70 in 11 previous Women’s Open starts.

Last summer, she shared the 36-hole lead in the AIG Women’s British Open at Carnoustie, only to shoot a 76 on Saturday to derail her title aspirations.

Harigae acknowledged being in a different place this week. Caddie/fiancé Travis Keiter provided a putting tip on Wednesday and work with instructor Jeff Fisher and mental coach Dawn Woodard had the 32-year-old Northern Californian feeling confident.

Her first nine holes of round three couldn’t have started better. Harigae nearly holed a 110-yard shot on the par-four eighth for an easy birdie, and she followed with a five-foot birdie on nine.

However, Lee kept pushing forward and Harigae bogeyed 11 and 12 before stuffing her tee shot on the 174-yard, par-three 16th to two feet for a tap-in birdie to keep herself within hailing distance.

Harigae said: “I can control my emotions a lot better, especially when there’s high tension, when things don’t go my way. I’m just really happy with the way I’m handling it.”