Jeeno Thitikul builds Kroger Queen City lead with Lydia Ko in pursuit

Jeeno Thitikul extended her lead Saturday with a 4-under par 68, going up by two strokes (16 under) with a round to play at the Kroger Queen City Championship in Maineville, Ohio.

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 hot sunny day, the 21-year-old from Thailand started her day hot with birdies on two of her first three holes (Nos. 1 and 3) and sprinkled in birdies on Nos. 8, 11 and 15 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-5 No. 18, shaking off the challenge of the heat.

"I think stay(ing) hydrated is the most important here," Thitikul said. "And then you can see all the umbrella, which is the sun -- it's really killing us this week.

"But it's good. It's good. I like it more than the cold weather."

New Zealand's Lydia Ko, who Thitikul paired with, remains her closest pursuer at 14 under after her 3-under 69.

Ko's round was steady after a bogey to open on No. 1. From there, she scored birdies on Nos. 8, 10, 14 and 18.

Ko, who won Olympic gold and the AIG Women's Open over the summer, also recently clinched enough career points to be inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame.

China's Yan Liu fired a 4-under 68 to earn third place honors after three rounds. Her day ran the gamut, including a double bogey on No. 3 and an eagle on No. 11. 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 ten, 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."

Five golfers are tied for sixth five shots behind the leader: Lindy Duncan (68), South Korea's Hyo Joon Jang (67), Australia's Stephanie Kyriacou (69), Thailand's Jasmine Suwannapura (69) and the Philippines' Bianca Pagdanganan (69).

--Field Level Media