Akie Iwai produced her worst round of the tournament on Thursday but still emerged with the lead entering the final day of the Lotte Championship in Ewa Beach, Hawaii.
The 23-year-old Japanese player shot a 1-under-par 71 in the third round at Hoakalei Country Club, ending up at 13-under 203 for a one-stroke edge.
Second-round leader Youmin Hwang of South Korea shot a 75 in the third round, leaving her in an eight-way tie for second at 12 under.
Hwang is level with Meghan Khang (third-round 67), Brooke Matthews (69), Jessica Porvasnik (72), Japan’s Minami Katsu (66), South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim (66), Taiwan’s Peiyun Chien (68) and Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum (69).
World No. 2 Nelly Korda (69) and Japan’s Nasa Hataoka (71) share 10th place at 11 under.
Iwai led after shooting 64 on Wednesday, and she followed that up with a 68 on Thursday. On Friday, she opened with a birdie but ended the day with three birdies and two bogeys.
She earned her initial LPGA Tour win in August at the Portland Classic, and she has four top-five finishes this year.
Looking ahead to the fourth round, Iwai said, “No change. Keep going. Yeah, I have just smiling and just fun, have fun. … I forget what happened today and (get) ready for tomorrow.”
Katsu birdied three of her first five holes, and she added a run of three birdies in four holes on the back nine immediately after making her lone bogey of the day at the par-3 12th hole.
“I feel like my (putter) today was working really well, even though it has some bad shots,” said Katsu, an eight-time winner on the LPGA of Japan Tour who is seeking her first win on the U.S.-based circuit. “I think I was able to keep a good par save on with my putting. I had a pretty long birdie putt, too, so I felt like that kept my momentum going today.”
Hyo Joo Kim put together a bogey-free round while tying Katsu and South Korea’s A Lim Kim for the best score of the day.
Korda isn’t giving up hope of earning her first win of the year. She was a seven-time winner in 2024.
“For me, the most important thing is giving 100 percent to every shot,” she said. “That’s what I’m going to do tomorrow. You never know. Golf is a crazy sport. Sports are crazy. You sometimes just need a little bit of momentum.”
