Paula Reto was the model of consistency after the third round of the Chevron Championship on Saturday as she carded her third successive one-under-par 71 in the first major championship of the year to be in a share of 26th heading into the final round.
Reto made four birdies and three bogeys to keep her right in position to challenge for a spot inside the top 20 when she plays in the final round, although, at three-under for the tournament, she is a long way off the pace. Jennifer Kupcho of the United States blazed to a superb eight-under-par 64 in the third round to move to 16-under and a six-stroke lead over Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand. Jessica Korda is in third on nine-under.
Reto made a birdie early in her round on the second, but she dropped a shot immediately thereafter. Then two bogeys in succession on the seventh and eighth saw her slip to even-par for the tournament. But she pulled things together nicely with three more birdies, on the ninth, 11th and 17th. She shares 26th with 10 other players. Up ahead of her is a group of five players on four-under for the tournament in a share of 21st.
Kupcho started fast and kept on going. She moved into position to win for the first time on the LPGA Tour and take the last victory leap in Poppie’s Pond. The event that started in 1972 as the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner’s Circle and became a major in 1983 is moving to Houston after failing to attract a sponsor willing to keep it at history-packed Mission Hills.
