(2021 Getty Images photo)
Saturday was a grind for Emma Talley at the ISPS Handa World Invitational presented by Modest! Golf Management in Northern Ireland.
But the Princeton native still owns a share of the lead heading into the final round on Sunday.
Talley carded an even-par round of 73 at Galgorm Golf Club in the third round to stay at 13-under overall. However, she started Saturday with a three-shot lead but now finds herself tied with Jennifer Kupcho and Pajaree Anannarukarn with 18 holes of regulation play remaining.
“I think just play like the first two days, really didn’t play well at all today,” said Talley, who hit seven of 14 fairways. “I really did not like the way I hit the ball, especially off the tee. You can probably go look at the stats, might have only hit like four fairways. I’m putting so well right now that if I can hit the fairways and greens, hit it a little better than I did today, I don’t think anybody can catch me.”
With a win on Sunday, Talley would secure her first LPGA Tour win in her 90th career start. She won once on the Symetra Tour while earning LPGA status — the 2017 Island Resort Championship in Harris, Michigan.
Anannarukarn shot up the leaderboard on moving day with a 7-under 66 and even wrestled the lead away from Talley briefly on Saturday.
Kupcho shot a 3-under 70 to get into the tie at the top.
Those three will be the final group off the No. 1 tee in Sunday’s final round. That tee time is set for 12:34 p.m. in Northern Ireland — 6:34 a.m. Central Daylight Time.
Talley’s third round included four birdies, but she also had two bogeys and a double-bogey-7 on the par-5 9th hole.
However, Talley bounced back with three straight birdies on 11, 12 and 13 before bogeying the par-14 16th hole to fall back to 13-under.
Twelve golfers are within five shots of the lead, which should make for an exciting Sunday in Northern Ireland.
