Three-way tie atop U.S. Women’s Open

GOLF ROUNDUP

Minjee Lee reacts after birdieing the 16th hole during the third round of the U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club on Saturday in Lancaster, Pa. MATT SLOCUM — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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By Doug Ferguson

The Associated Press

LANCASTER, Pa. >> One shot put two-time major champion Minjee Lee right in the mix Saturday in the U.S. Women’s Open, and she surged her way to a 4-under 66 that gave her a share of the lead with Stanford alum Andrea Lee and Wichanee Meechai.

Andrea Lee overcame a few mistakes early that left her three shots behind at one point. She was bogey-free on the tougher back nine for a 67. Meechai, the only player to reach 6-under par at any point this week, twice saved par on the closing three holes for a 69.

They were at 5-under 205.

Nelly Korda and other big stars in women’s golf were long gone from Lancaster Country Club. Left behind was a tremendous give-and-take among five players who remained under par.

Minjee Lee was four shots behind and going nowhere until she hit her approach to 2 feet for eagle on the par-5 seventh hole. Equally impressive was her tee shot to a scary front left pin on the notorious par-3 12th hole to 3 feet for birdie.

Her 66 matched the low score of the tournament. Former Women’s British Open champion Hinako Shibuno had seven birdies Saturday for a 66 that left her only two shots behind.

The other player under par was former Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso. She was within one shot of the lead until dropping two shots over the final four holes. It might have been worse except for a bold flop shot over a bunker to a tight pin on the 17th that set up a most unlikely par save. Saso shot 69.

Everyone else was over par, and Lancaster Country Club isn’t the track that allows for big charges. It’s more hang on for dear life, particularly in a final round at a U.S. Open.

Andrea Lee, who started two shots behind, opened with a 25-foot birdie putt. Meechai followed her in from just outside 20 feet. The 31-year-old Thai also drilled an iron onto the green at the seventh to set up a two-putt birdie that put her at 6 under.

But she dropped two shots on the back nine, only to deliver a beauty with an 8-iron on the 15th, just enough right-to-left movement on her shot that it rode the slope of the green to 3 feet that put her in the lead.

That only lasted long enough for Minjee Lee to hole an 18-foot birdie putt on the short par-4 16th, after laying back off the tee with a 5-iron. And then Andrea Lee came through on the 16th with a shot into 3 feet to join them.

MacIntyre builds 4-shot lead at Canadian Open

Robert MacIntyre made a 30-foot eagle putt on the par-5 17th to cap a late surge Saturday and take a four-stroke lead into the final round of the RBC Canadian Open.

Tied for the second-round lead with Ryan Fox, MacIntyre shot a 4-under 66 to get to 14-under 196 at Hamilton Golf and Country Club. The 27-year-old Scottish left-hander is winless in 44 career PGA Tour starts.

Mackenzie Hughes, trying to become the second straight Canadian to win the national championship, was tied for second with Fox and Ben Griffin.

From nearby Dundas, Hughes shot a 67. He missed a 9-foot eagle putt on 17, then bogeyed the par-4 18th.

Last year at Oakdale in Toronto, Nick Taylor made a 72-foot eagle putt on the fourth hole of a playoff against Tommy Fleetwood to become the first Canadian to win the event since 1954.

Fox had a 70. He played the first five holes in 4 under with a eagle and two birdies, then made four bogeys on the final 13 — three in a four-hole span in the middle of the back nine. Griffin bogeyed the 18th in a 65.

Fleetwood (64) was 9 under along with Sam Burns (67), Trace Crowe (67) and Joel Dahmen (69).