For the second week in a row, a Canadian is in the hunt on the LPGA Tour.
After three rounds of the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open, Maud-Eme LeBlanc is one stroke off the lead. The Sherbrooke, Que. native shot a six-under 66 at Dundonald Links and trails Lydia Ko and Celine Bouthier.
“I’ve been hitting the ball solid since the beginning of the week,” LeBlanc said. “I love playing in Scotland. I don’t know what’s in it, but it is [a] different golf course, different conditions and I like it all here.”
For the third round in a row, Leblanc was picked on the greens using just 28 shots. She has shot under 30 in all three rounds so far and said her mastery of the putting surfaces is a team effort.
“My caddy and I do a good job of reading the greens,” she said. “Good together. I have a good feel for the speed of the greens, so I think that’s a good recipe for making shots.”
Leblanc gets a lot of birdie chances by virtue of hitting a lot of greens. For the week, it landed at 45 out of 54.
She also made 17 birdies this week, nine of those coming in her round on Saturday.
A week ago, Brooke Henderson won the Amundi Evian Championship for her second major and 12th LPGA title. She was scheduled to play this week but withdrew after the win, hoping to rest for next week’s Women’s British Open, the last major of the season.
Leblanc is yet to win on the LPGA Tour and has just three top 10s in her career. But two of them came this season.
Two years ago, Leblanc, who was part of the 2011 NCAA-winning team at Purdue University, announced her retirement from tour golf, but returned to play last year on the Epson Tour, bringing with her a renewed perspective and more confidence. She played well enough to earn a promotion to the LPGA Tour and is currently 62nd in the CME Globe rankings.
“I always felt like I had more to achieve,” she said of her return to the LPGA Tour. “This break was really necessary. People underestimate how tough it is mentally and physically here. It is important to take good care of your mental and physical health.”
On Sunday, she goes into the final round with a huge chance to score her first victory. She knows it will be as much a mental battle as a physical one. Two months ago, she began working with a sports psychologist, trying to turn what she thought was a good game into good results. This will be put to the test in the final round.
“The adrenaline tends to go up when I’m in situations like these,” she admitted, “so tomorrow will be important to try to stay calm and focus on my breathing and try to slow everything down.”
LeBlanc will play in the final group along with Boutier and Co.
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