Magical Minjee Lee leads Women's PGA Championship
Minjee Lee is on the precipice of landing a third career major and the biggest cheque in women's golf after seizing a commanding lead at the PGA Championship in Texas.
The Australian superstar defied more brutal conditions with a sublime third-round three-under-par 69 to skip out to a four-shot lead at PGA Frisco's scorching and windswept Fields Ranch East course.
Lee started the day three shots behind world No.2 Jeeno Thitikul and was unable to make any inroads on the Thai before hitting top gear around the turn.
Brilliant off the tee and with the broomstick in hand, the Perth prodigy collected her first birdie of the day on the ninth hole, then nabbed two more on 14 and 15 to turn a three-shot deficit into a four-stroke buffer.
After hitting 11 of 14 fairways and needing just 26 putts, Lee finished round three at six under, a score Thitikul briefly reached before stumbling with four back-nine bogeys in a rough four-over round of 76.
The leading duo are the only players in red numbers as the season's third major shapes as a Sunday match-play showdown.
South Korean Hye-Jin Choi (72), Japan's Miyu Yamashita (73) and American Lexi Thompson (75) are tied for third at one over, seven shots behind the runaway leader.
Victory for the 29-year-old would earn Lee the third leg of women's golf grand slam following her 2021 Evian Championship triumph and 2022 US Open success.
Lee is also hoping to snap a 19-month winless run, the longest drought of her decorated career.
Victory would also secure Australian women's sport's highest earner another monster cheque of $US3.4 million ($A5.25 million), the equal-highest pay day in her game's history.
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