Lydia Ko has produced a steady third round, but needs a strong finish to claim her third major title at the US Open.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The New Zealander was four shots off the lead, tied for fifth, after carding a one-over par 72 on a challenging day at the Champions Club in Houston, Texas.
Just two players shot under-par rounds, leaving only four players in red figures for the tournament.
Outright leader Hinako Shibuno of Japan was at four-under after a three-over par 74 in round three.
Ko made par on 15 of the first 16 holes, the exception coming with a bogey five at the par four sixth.
She followed that with 10 straight pars, finally collecting her first birdie of the day on the 17th hole but losing that shot again on the last, making bogey at 18.
"The wind direction changed, so that made it a lot tougher," Ko told Golf Channel.
"Someone said this was the easier wind and I was like 'well, these first few holes are playing super long', so it was quite tough.
"I thought this was supposed to be the warm day so [for it to be cold] it was definitely something we hadn't expected but everyone's playing in pretty much the same conditions."
Ko won her major championships in 2015 and 2016, while her last tournament win was in April, 2018.
