With one round remaining in the Kroger Queen City Championship, Jeeno Thitikul increased her lead by two strokes with a four-under par 68, leading England’s Charley Hull by eight shots.
Thitikul, a former world No 1 who entered the day nursing a one-stroke lead, is seeking her first individual LPGA win in two years.

On a warm sunny day, the 21-year-old from Thailand started her day hot with birdies on two of her first three holes – the first and third – and sprinkled in birdies on the eighth, 11th and 15th before eventually suffering bogeys on back-to-back holes on 16 and 17.

She closed her day with a rally to grab a birdie on the par-five 18th, shaking off the challenge of the heat.

 

China’s Yan Liu fired a four-under 68 to take third place after three rounds. Her day ran the gamut, including a double bogey on the third and an eagle on the 11th. She balanced an additional bogey with five birdies.

South Korea’s Haeran Ryu (70) and Switzerland’s Albane Valenzuela (68) round out the top five at 12 under after 54 holes.

“I think here there is a lot of birdie opportunities and girls go low, so I’m just trying to make as many as I can,” Valenzuela said. “If it’s one, if it’s 10, like who knows? It’s golf. You can’t control the variables. All I can do is really stick to my process, my routine, and try my best.”