Ally McDonald retains LPGA Drive On Championship lead, Mel Reid slips | Golf Information

Ally McDonald leads by one after 54 holes

Ally McDonald stayed on track to rejoice her birthday with a victory as she retained the lead on the LPGA Drive On Championship.

McDonald, who turns 28 on Sunday, recovered from a gap bogey to open up a four-shot lead with 4 birdies in 5 holes across the flip, a bonus she maintained with simply two holes of her third spherical to play.

Nonetheless, the Solheim Cup star bogeyed the 17th and enjoying associate Bianca Pagdanganan completed birdie, birdie to cut back the deficit to only a single stroke heading into the ultimate spherical at Reynold Lake Oconee.

McDonald is bidding for her maiden title on her 28th birthday

“I performed some actually stable golf after I type of settled in,” mentioned McDonald after signing for a 69 which consolidated her problem for a maiden victory on the LPGA Tour, incomes her the 54-hole lead on 13 below par.

“I made a number of unhealthy swings in direction of the tip of the spherical, however I am not going to discredit how I actually did settle in and performed stable golf for many of my holes.

“So I am excited with the place I am in. Mentally I feel I dealt with myself very well. Able to tackle tomorrow.”

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LPGA Tour rookie Pagdanganan, enjoying in solely her sixth occasion of the 12 months, was additionally one over for the day early on earlier than getting below the cardboard with birdies on the seventh and ninth, and her spectacular end matched McDonald’s three-under 69.

“I used to be giving myself actually, actually good alternatives, so ultimately the putts are going to should drop,” mentioned Pagdanganan, who’s bidding to turn out to be solely the second participant from the Philippines to win on the LPGA Tour after Jennifer Rosales.

Bianca Pagdanganan birdied the final two holes of day three

Danielle Kang, a two-time winner on Tour this season, pulled to inside two of the lead when she birdied the 13th and 15th, however she carved her drive at 16 into an area resident’s again backyard, past the out-of-bounds markers, and ran up a double-bogey six.

The world No 5 did get one again on the final to put up a 70 and shut on 11 below, whereas Spain’s Carlota Ciganda returned a five-birdie 68 to maneuver into fourth, simply three photographs off the tempo.

However Mel Reid will likely be seven strokes behind in a single day after masking the primary 12 holes in 5 over. though the spirited English star did stage a late rally with birdies at 13 and 14 and an eagle on the final.