Minjee Lee remains in the hunt going into the last round of the LPGA Tour's Kingsmill Championship in Virginia where Lexi Thompson is on track for her first victory since a rules infraction cost her a major.
Australian Lee fired a four-under 67 to be nine under for the tournament and five shots behind American leader Thompson in a tie for third.
Thompson shot a two-under 69 in tricky wind conditions on Saturday to take a three-stroke advantage over In Gee Chun.
The 22-year-old Thompson is playing her third event since losing the ANA Inspiration in a playoff after being penalised four strokes for a rules violation that a TV viewer reported.
"I'm as determined as any other person out here," Thompson said.
"We all want to win. I have a little bit more drive now I would say, but I'm just going to go out there and be confident and see where it goes."
The long-hitting Florida player had three birdies and a bogey - on the par-3 17th - to reach 14-under 199 on Kingsmill's River Course.
She has led after all three rounds, opening with consecutive 65s.
Chun had a 67.
The two-time major champion had six birdies and two bogeys.
"I love tough courses," Chun said.
"Today was tougher because the wind was from a different direction."
Top-ranked Lydia Ko was five strokes back at nine under after a 70.
Trying to hold off So Yeon Ryu and Ariya Jutanugarn for the No. 1 spot, Ko is winless since July.
"It was really tough out there with the wind action being opposite to what we've played the last couple days," Ko said. "I thought the forecast said it was going to be light breeze. If this is light breeze, I don't know what windy is."
Sei Young Kim (66) and 2015 winner Minjee Lee (67) also were 9 under.
Gerina Piller, second entering her third straight round alongside Thompson, had a 74 to drop into a tie for ninth at 6 under.
The second-ranked Ryu, the ANA winner, was four under after a 72.
The third-ranked Jutanugarn, defending the first of her five tour victories last year, had a 70 to also reach four under.
Lee is on track for her third top-10 finish from her past three LPGA starts.
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