Ariya Jutanugarn shot a bogey-free 66 on Saturday to take the third-round lead at the RICOH Women’s British Open in pursuit of her first major championship victory. Jutanugarn’s three-day total of 16-under par 200 set a new 54-hole scoring record and leads first and second-round leader Mirim Lee (69) by two shots.
Mo Martin (69) sits in solo third at 11-under par and five shots back while Catriona Matthew (71) is solo fourth at 10-under.
A fast start helped Jutanugarn jump out in front early with three birdies through five holes to get to 13-under par and never looked back. She chipped in from 90 feet on No. 8 and drained a 30-foot birdie putt on the 10th to extend the lead to three. But some steam ran out on the back nine and had one birdie on her last eight holes to finish at 16-under.
Jutanugarn has been performing at a high level in majors this year and said being in contention at both the ANA Inspiration and KPMG Women’s PGA Championship were both great learning experiences.
“I think I know how to play under pressure,” said Jutanugarn. “I know like what I have to focus and the only thing I have to is like focus on what is under my control.”
The 20-year old from Thailand is trying to become the first Thai player to win a major. She became the first player from Thailand to win on the LPGA Tour this year when won three consecutive events.
MAJOR PERFORMANCE
Ariya Jutanugarn has performed well in the majors this year, finishing within the top-5 twice and within the top-20 in every major thus far. She’s looking for her first career major championship and her fourth career LPGA victory (all this year). She finished fourth at the ANA Inspiration, third at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and T-17 at the U.S. Women’s Open. Jutanugarn’s best finish at the RICOH Women’s British Open was a T45 in 2014 and she missed the cut in 2015.
AN AGELESS ACCOMPLISHMENT
In an era where teenagers frequent the winner’s circle on the LPGA Tour, a win by 46-year-old Catriona Matthew this week would be not only impressive but also record breaking. The mother of two would set the all-time record for oldest player to win a major if she claims her second RICOH Women’s British Open title on Sunday. Matthew will be 46 years, 11 months and 6 days old on Sunday and would break Fay Crocker’s record set at the 1960 Titleholders Championship.
Here is a list of the oldest winners:
| Play | Event | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Fay Crocker | 1960 Titleholders | 45/7/11 |
| Sherri Steinhauer | 2006 RICOH Women's British Open | 43/7/10 |
| Babe Zaharias | 1954 U.S. Women's Open | 43/0/6 |
| Juli Inkster | 2002 U.S. Women's Open | 42/0/14 |
ALWAYS CHEERFUL
Lydia Ko stepped to the 18th tee during the third round of the RICOH Women’s British Open having birdied five of the last seven holes and a chance to finish the round 67-or-better. An errant tee shot on 18 led to an eventual double bogey but despite the tough finish, Ko was all smiles at the end of her round.
“I just had a toffee. Sugar always helps the feelings,” Ko joked when asked how she remained so cheerful. “But I know that I still played solid out there. I mean, it’s always -- it’s not the greatest finish to finish with a bogey or a double. It won’t feel as bad if I made it on the second hole, for example. So I’ve just got to get over it. I know I still played a lot of good shots. I hit another good tee shot -- my second shot was another one. There are still a lot of positives and I know there’s one more day to go and hopefully it’s the lowest round I’ve had so far this week.”
OUT IN FRONT
Jutanugarn has had a very solid record when leading after 54-holes in her career. All three of her victories this season have come when holding the solo third-round lead. This week marks the sixth time she head into the final day atop the leaderboard and first time at a major championship.
Ariya Jutanugarn With Third Round Lead:
| Year | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | LPGA Volvik Championship (solo) | Win |
| 2016 | Kingsmill Championship (solo) | Win |
| 2016 | Yokohama LPGA Classic (solo) | Win |
| 2015 | ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open (share) | 3 |
| 2013 | Honda LPGA Thailand (solo) | 2 |
YOUNGSTER TO STRIKE AGAIN?
If Ariya Jutanugarn wins her first major this week, she would also become the second youngest winner of this event. She would just edge the youngest, Jiyai Shin, by nearly five months. Jutanugarn will be 20 years, 8 months and 8 days old tomorrow. She would bring the average age of major winners this year (22.33) back down. Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson both won their majors this season at 18 years old while Brittany Lang became the oldest winner on Tour this year, winning the U.S. Women’s Open at age 30.
Youngest Winners:
| Age | Player | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 20/3/6 | Jiyai Shin | 2008 |
| 21/6/9 | Yani Tseng | 2010 |
| 22/6/8 | Yani Tseng | 2011 |
STILL GOING LOW
Scoring records have been on the brink all week at Woburn and continue to fall. With her three-day total of 16-under par 200, Ariya Jutanugarn posted a new championship 54-hole scoring mark previously set by Caroline Masson in 2011.
Lowest score after 54 holes:
| Score | Player | Course | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 (65-69-66) | Ariya Jutanugarn | Woburn | 2016 |
| 201 (68-65-68) | Caroline Masson | Carnoustie | 2011 |
At 16-under par, Jutanugarn is also on pace to break the championship 72-hole scoring records set by Karen Stupples in 2004 at Sunningdale with rounds of 65 – 70 – 70 – 64.
OF NOTE
- Karrie Webb’s last top-10 finish in a major came at the 2015 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She heads into the final round T6 and eight shots off the lead.
- Catriona Matthew has four career LPGA victories and she has come from behind to win just one of those four wins - the 2004 Wendy’s Championship for Children.
- With a win tomorrow, Ariya Jutanugarn is projected to move to No. 3 in the Rolex Rankings.
- Two total eagles were carded today to bring the total number of weekend eagles to 199 during the CME Group Cares Weekend in 2016. CME Group Cares Weekends is a season-long charity program that will be tied into the Race to the CME Globe. Each Saturday and Sunday at LPGA tournaments, the money raised will go towards a charitable pool and will be split evenly between Wounded Warrior Project and Bright Pink at the end of the 2016 LPGA season. Representatives from Bright Pink and Wounded Warrior Project will be on hand Sunday of the CME Group Tour Championship for a check presentation.
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