Australian Minjee Lee opened up a four-shot lead on the “brutal” Ladies’s PGA Championship with a third-round 69 as in a single day chief Jeeno Thitikul faltered in Frisco, Texas.

Lee was three pictures behind Thitikul initially of day three however produced a powerful bogey-free spherical, which included three birdies, to maneuver to 6 underneath as windy situations once more made it troublesome on the Fields Ranch East course.

Thailand’s Thitikul, chasing her first victory at a significant, led after the primary two days of the event however shot a four-over 76, which included two birdies and 6 bogeys, and is on two underneath par.

England’s Charley Hull shot the bottom rating of the second spherical with a 69 and adopted that up with a 73 as she goes into the ultimate day on 4 over par.

There have solely been 5 rounds within the 60s on the event and Lee has carded two of them with 69s on days one and three.

“I simply attempt to keep affected person on the market,” stated two-time main winner Lee. “You’ll be able to’t get forward of your self, particularly in these situations.

“It is solely getting more durable and more durable simply with I feel stress of a significant championship, and in addition the course simply calls for a lot from you.”

Lee’s earlier main wins got here on the 2021 Evian Championship and 2022 US Ladies’s Open.

She added: “I do know what it takes to win and I do know simply form of what to really feel and what to anticipate now that I’ve two underneath my belt.

“I simply suppose the expertise that I’ve had is basically going to assist me hopefully recover from the road.”

Lee and Thitikul are the one gamers underneath par for the third of this 12 months’s 5 LPGA majors.

American Lexi Thompson is on one over par after a 75 that started with a triple bogey and bogey, whereas compatriot Nelly Korda (72) and Eire’s Leona Maguire (72) are one shot additional again.

“Undoubtedly pleased with how I stayed sturdy,” Thompson stated. “It was form of a nightmare of a begin, however I knew coming into the day it was going to play very troublesome.

“I do not know actually what occurred on my first gap, however [I’m] completely satisfied I received it out of the way in which and stayed optimistic on the market and simply made pars and some birdies right here and there.”

World primary Korda added: “It is brutal on the market relating to the set-up of the golf course, wind situations, the whole lot. I am very pleased with even par.

“You are simply completely satisfied to get 18 underneath your belt on a day like this.”