TRINITY, Texas — LSU senior golfer Meredith Duncan remained in second place for the United States Saturday on a day when the women’s scores moved higher in The Spirit International Amateur Championships at the Whispering Pines Golf Course.
Only four players on the women’s side were able to match par or better, with three players shooting 71 and leader Lorena Ochoa of Mexico posting an even-par 72. That allowed her to pick up two more strokes on the lead after 54 holes as she stands at 7-under 209. Duncan, from Shreveport, posted a 2-over 74, and now stands at 2-under 214 (72-68-74) for the first three rounds.
Korea’s Joo Mi Kim, with a 71 on Saturday, moved from fifth into a tie for second with Duncan, with Marta Pireto of Spain in fourth at 1-under 215, as the only players under par with a round to go.
Duncan and her United States women’s teammate, Laura Myerscough of Arizona, remained in third in the team competition based on the best score on each hole. The U.S. posted a round of 5-under 67 on Saturday and stands at 13-under 203. The Mexican team of Ochoa and Violeta Retamoza are at 22-under 194 to lead.
The men’s United States team had a good day on the course, shooting an 8-under 64, moving into a five-way tie for second at 19-under par 197 with Switzerland, Korea, South Africa and the Republic of China. Austria, with a 63 on Saturday, is the one-stroke leader at 20-under 196.
Robert Hamilton of the U.S. shot an 8-under 64 on his own ball to go to the lead individually with a three-day total of 9-under 207. He is five shots clear of Alberto Valenzuela. His U.S. teammate Casey Wittenberg, after a 3-under 69, is tied for third at 3-under for 54 holes.
The International competition involving the best score from both the men’s and women’s teams still belongs to Mexico, which posted a 10-under on the day to stand at 40-under par for three days (392).
Korea remains second at 35-under, while the United States’ total of 13-under put the Americans squarely in third at 32-under, 400. The Americans are three shots out of second place going into Sunday’s final round.