Haeran Ryu shot a four-under 68 on Saturday to take a one-shot lead over Brooke Henderson after three rounds of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship.
Nelly Korda, chasing a historic third straight major championship win, shot a one-under 71 to move four shots behind Ryu on a sun-drenched but windy day at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota.
Ina Yoon, who entered the day with a five-shot lead, struggled early but settled down to finish with a three-over 75 and is two shots off the lead.
Dewi Weber, the 210th-ranked player in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings, birdied three of the final four holes and is three shots back after a four-under 68. A Lim Kim joins her there.
Korda and Alison Lee are four shots off the lead, which history indicates is important.
In the last 35 Women's PGA Championships, the eventual winner was leading or within four shots of the lead after three rounds.
Korda has struggled on the greens over the first three rounds, going seven for 11 on putts between three and five feet, ranking 65th among the 68 remaining players. She was 19 of 20 from that distance over four rounds when she won the US Women's Open earlier this month.
"The greens are pretty slick," Korda, who three-putted two greens in her third round, said.
"They don't have too much grass on them. The short putts are pretty difficult.
"Putting in general, when it gets this windy, you have to calculate in the wind, too, and a gust here and there. Sometimes you just aren't as confident with your lines."
Ryu's score tied for the lowest round of the day, one day after her 64 was Friday's low score.
She played the first seven holes in four-under, including a 28-foot eagle putt on hole seven, and a birdie putt on the ninth that rimmed around three-quarters of the hole before falling. Ryu was one over on the back nine.
"It was more windy and a lot of tough shots and tough putts, but I just made one bogey today, so it was good for me for tomorrow, and tomorrow I just want to have more confidence and be calmer," Ryu said of potentially winning her first major.
Yoon, who shot a tournament record-tying 63 on Thursday and a 69 on Friday to reach 12 under, put her opening tee shot in a bunker, leading to a bogey. It was the first of four on the front side to go with one birdie. Bogeys on holes 10 and 12 were sandwiched around a birdie on No 11 before the 23-year-old South Korean played the final six holes in one under.
"I had a really long day, especially the front nine. I was just nervous a lot. I missed short putts," she said.
Nerves are not an issue for Henderson, who looks to win her second Women's PGA Championship 10 years after winning at Sahalee Country Club in Washington at age 18.
"It was nice to hit a lot of greens, a lot of fairways and give myself a lot of good birdie looks," Henderson said.
"Would have been nice maybe to capitalise on a few more, but definitely happy with where I'm at, and excited for tomorrow."
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