KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): Defending champion Miyu Yamashita of Japan moved one step closer to retaining her Maybank Championship title after firing six birdies en route to a five-under 67 in the third round at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC) here today.
The 25-year-old carded birdies at the second, third, eighth, 11th, 13th and 17th holes, with her only bogey coming at the 16th, to open up a two-stroke lead with a three-day total of 18-under 198 heading into tomorrow's final round.
"It was a very nice round today as well. I had a few tricky situations during the round, but I managed to get through them and finished without dropping a shot.
"So I am really pleased with my performance today,” she said.
Looking ahead to tomorrow's final round, Yamashita said she was determined to defend her title, drawing confidence from her familiarity with the course and the strong support from Malaysian golf fans.
"Of course winning a title is something pretty special itself, but I really like the course and I have been getting so much support from the fans here in Malaysia, so I will do my best tomorrow,” she added.
Meanwhile, first-round leader Pauline Roussin-Bouchard of France finished the third round joint second after carding a five-under 67.
Pauline and China’s Liu Yan, who fired a third-round nine-under 63 are joint second with a three-day total of 16-under 200. -- BERNAMA
