BMW Ladies Championship: Ashleigh Buhai and Minjee Lee tied for lead ahead of final round in South Korea

Former major champions Ashleigh Buhai and Minjee Lee are tied for the lead heading into the final round of the BMW Ladies Championship in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.

Buhai, the first-round leader, shot a 69 to recapture a share of the lead and stand at 12 under for the tournament. Lee, the second-round leader, finished with a 71 on a chilly and windy day at Seowon Valley Country Club.

Defending champion Lydia Ko (69) and Alison Lee (70) are one shot behind at 11 under in a tie for third.

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South Africa's Buhai, who won the 2022 Women's British Open, opened the tournament with a blistering 62 but followed that with a 73 as players fought gusty winds on Friday. But she was one of only three players on Saturday to finish without a bogey - a birdie at the 17th hole moving her into the co-share of the lead.

"I'm happy with the way I played," Buhai said. "I stayed very patient out there.

"I think I managed the wind a little better. It wasn't as tricky, but still gusted. Bogey-free, you've always got to be happy with that."

Minjee Lee followed two birdies in the first 11 holes with bogeys at 12 and 13. A birdie at the 15th helped send her to the clubhouse at 12 under.

The two-time major champion is searching for a 10th LPGA Tour victory and could do it in South Korea, where her parents are from. She clearly sees room for improvement on Sunday.

"I probably didn't hole as many putts as I wanted," she said. "Probably a little more misreads here and there.

"Hopefully tomorrow I can string together a few more birdies."

Another Australian, Ko, is the only player this week to record three consecutive rounds under 70. Her parents also have Korea roots, and should she win on Sunday, she'd become the first two-time winner of the BMW Ladies Championship.

"It would be really cool to be able to defend, obviously being here in Korea," she said. "But there's still a lot of golf to be played, and there's so many potentially low scorers out there.

"I'm just going to go out there and have fun and hopefully play some good golf tomorrow."

Tied for fifth and two shots back at 10 under are France's Celine Boutier (68) and Lauren Coughlin (67). Boutier has had a stellar season with three wins, including a first major at the Evian Championship, and started the day in ninth.

Boutier briefly took the lead after six birdies in the first 16 holes, including four straight on holes 12 through 16, before ending the round with consecutive bogeys on the final two holes, both par fours.

"It's good to put yourself in position, but there's still so much that can happen," Boutier said. "I just try to stay in the moment.

"I feel there's really no point in getting ahead of yourself too much, and especially like with the quality of the field. It's best to just focus on what you can manage."

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