Charley Hull putted her way to 13 under par and led the CME Group Tour Championship after a Saturday round of 66 at Tiburon Golf Club.
The Englishwoman was bogey-free in California and had six birdies on the card, the best of which came from a 30-foot putt at the 10th hole.
Brittany Lincicome and So Yeon Ryu shared second place on 12 under par. Lydia Ko and Ariya Jutanugarn, ranked one and two on the Order of Merit, were part of a six-way tie for fourth place.
South Africa’s Paula Reto bounced back from a tough start that included a double bogey at the sixth. She carded 72 after a bogey-free back nine with three birdies on that loop, eventually sharing 53rd place with one round to play.
Hull was ready to contend for the season-ending Tour Championship and needed one more good round to make it happen.
‘I’ll just go on the range and hit some golf balls and just kind of work on my tempo. Sometimes it gets a bit rushed,’ she said. ‘Kind of keep it to the basics. Remember what my coach said. I haven’t had a golf lesson in six weeks, so I’m looking forward to having one when I get home.’
