1 year ago
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Associated Press
Jun 28, 2025, 06:41 PM ET
MIDLAND, Mich. -- Sarah Schmelzel and Albane Valenzuela took the third-round pb Saturday successful the Dow Championship, shooting a 2-under 68 successful alternate-shot play to determination into presumption for their archetypal LPGA Tour victories.
Schmelzel and Valenzuela had a 13-under 197 full astatine Midland Country Cup heading into the better-ball last round. They opened with an alternate-shot 68 connected Thursday and had a best-ball 61 connected Friday.
"You're benignant of connected pins and needles astir of the day, conscionable hoping you don't get your spouse successful trouble," Schmelzel said. "Just ace solid. I consciousness similar we had truly bully attitudes passim the full day. I deliberation some of america took each azygous changeable arsenic it came."
The teams of Jin Hee Im-Somi Lee (68) and Manon De Roey-Pauline Roussin-Bouchard (69) were a changeable back.
"I'm precise arrogant of us," De Roey said. "We hung successful there. We fought until the end."
Jennifer Kupcho and Leona Maguire, the second-round leaders aft a 60, birdied the last 2 holes for a 72 that near them tied for 4th astatine 11 nether with Lauren Hartlage-Brooke Matthews (66) and Sung Hyun Park-Ina Yoon (67). Kupcho won successful 2022 with Lizette Salas.
"Just effort and spell debased and effort and station a fig aboriginal and spot what happens," Maguire said. "I deliberation it was bully to spot 2 putts spell successful astatine the end."
Lexi Thompson-Megan Kang (68) and Rio Takeda-Miyu Yamashita (67) were 10 under.
Defending champions Ruoning Yin and Jeeno Thitikul, some among the apical 5 successful the women's satellite ranking, were 9 nether aft a 67.
Schmelzel and Valenzuela parred the last 7 holes. They had 4 birdies and 2 bogeys successful the round.
"I consciousness similar we had a truly bully day," Valenzuela said. "Our extremity successful foursomes was conscionable to get a mates nether oregon possibly a small spot better. We had a fewer mistakes, and that's going to hap successful this format. We besides did a batch of truly bully stuff."
