Katie Burnett takes Lotte Championship

 lead in search of first LPGA win

FROM GOLFWEEK.COM

By Kevin Casey

Katie Burnett, picture by courtesy of Getty Images,  has gone 36 holes without a bogey, and now she’s within reach of her first LPGA title.
Birdies were plentiful during the third round of the Lotte Championship, with nine players posting rounds of 5-under 67 or better on Friday. Yet, it was the bogeys – or lack thereof – that made the difference.
Burnett only posted one birdie in her first 10 holes during the third round at Ko Olina Golf Club, Hawaii, but a lack of squares on the card did wonders. With zero bogeys, Burnett was already 9 under, and she proceeded to birdie four of her last eight to reach 13 under and take a one-shot lead.
Thanks to a matching 67, Su-Yeon Jang moved into solo second at 12 under. In Gee Chun (65) and Moriya Jutanugarn (68) are tied for third at 10 under.
For Burnett, her last bogey came on the ninth hole (her last) Wednesday during the tournament’s first round. Since then, it’s been 11 birdies and 25 pars. Nothing else.
The 26-year-old American has rarely contended on the LPGA since her rookie year in 2013. Burnett is winless on the circuit but also in search of just her second career top 10. Clearly Oahu, Hawaii, does wonders, as Burnett’s T-9 here two years ago serves as that solo top 10.
She’ll start Saturday’s final round with a bit of a cushion, but another bogey-free day would do wonders.
There are also a pair of big names lurking in a spot to make a charge. Four-time LPGA winner Sei Young Kim, 23, sits 9 under after her third consecutive 69. Lexi Thompson, 21, continued to recover from an opening-day 75 thanks to a third-round 68 that boosted her to 7 under.
Minjee Lee, 19, started the day tied for the lead but fell to a tie for sixth at 8 under after posting a birdie-less 74.

SCOREBOARD
Par 216 (3x72) 

1	Katie Burnett	70	66	67	.				203
2	Su Yeon Jang	71	66	67					204
T3	Moriya Jutanugarn	68	70	68					206
T3	In Gee Chun	74	67	65					206
5	Sei Young Kim	69	69	69					207
T6	Joanna Klatten	71	70	67					208
T6	Minjee Lee	68	66	74					208
T6	P.K. Kongkraphan	74	69	65					208
T9	Pernilla Lindberg	70	72	67					209
T9	Lexi Thompson	75	66	68					209
T9	Mo Martin	72	71	66					209
T12	Brooke Henderson	69	70	71					210
T12	Shanshan Feng	73	68	69					210
T12	Danielle Kang	72	68	70					210
T12	Megan Khang	76	64	70					210
T12	Haru Nomura	72	71	67					210
T17	Suzann Pettersen	71	71	69					211
T17	Ariya Jutanugarn	72	70	69					211
T17	Lee-Anne Pace	73	69	69					211
T20	Jodi Ewart Shadoff	73	67	72					212
T20	Eun-Hee Ji	70	71	71					212
T20	Azahara Munoz	71	70	71					212
T20	Nontaya Srisawang	70	71	71					212
T20	Kris Tamulis	72	70	70					212
T20	Q Baek	74	69	69					212
T20	Beatriz Recari	72	71	69					212
T20	Thidapa Suwannapura	72	71	69					212
T20	Chella Choi	73	71	68					212
T20	So Yeon Ryu	72	73	67					212
T30	Jenny Shin	74	68	71					213
T30	Julie Yang	73	70	70					213
T32	Lydia Ko	71	72	71					214
T32	Lizette Salas	75	66	73					214
T32	Kim Kaufman	69	75	70					214
T32	Briana Mao	74	70	70					214
T32	Angela Stanford	71	74	69					214
T32	Lindy Duncan	75	71	68					214
T32	Mika Miyazato	77	69	68					214
T39	Haeji Kang	73	70	72					215
T39	Pornanong Phatlum	73	70	72					215
T39	Holly Clyburn	74	70	71					215
T39	Su-Hyun Oh	71	73	71					215
T39	Budsabakorn Sukapan	73	72	70					215
T39	Sarah Jane Smith	73	72	70					215
T45	Paula Creamer	72	70	74					216
T45	Becky Morgan	72	71	73					216
T45	Jacqui Concolino	74	71	71					216
T45	Brittany Lang	72	73	71					216
T45	Ai Miyazato	75	68	73					216
T45	Inbee Park	74	71	71					216
T51	Alena Sharp	69	73	75					217
T51	Hye Jin Choi	72	73	72					217
T51	Brianna Do	71	75	71					217
T51	Marion Ricordeau	71	73	73					217
T51	Hyo Joo Kim	76	70	71					217
T56	Casey Grice	74	70	74					218
T56	Min Lee	72	72	74					218
T56	Lee Lopez	73	72	73					218
T56	Simin Feng	73	72	73					218
T56	Mi Jung Hur	73	72	73					218
T61	Stephanie Kono	72	71	76					219
T61	Sadena Parks	73	72	74					219
T61	Kelly Shon	72	72	75					219
T61	Nannette Hill	76	70	73					219
T61	Sarah Kemp	75	70	74					219
T61	Samantha Richdale	73	72	74					219
T67	Sandra Changkija	72	74	75					221
T67	Cristie Kerr	70	74	77					221
T69	Celine Herbin	72	74	76					222
T69	SooBin Kim	76	70	76					222
71	Gaby Lopez	73	73	77					223
T72	Katherine Kirk	74	72	78					224
T72	Demi Runas	72	74	78					224
T74	Cydney Clanton	72	75	MC	.				147
T74	Mi Hyang Lee	72	75	MC					147
T74	Brittany Lincicome*	75	72	MC					147
T74	Caroline Masson	69	78	MC					147
T74	Sydnee Michaels*	73	74	MC					147
T74	Paula Reto	71	76	MC					147
T74	Ashleigh Simon	72	75	MC					147
T74	Alison Walshe	75	72	MC					147
T74	Sun Young Yoo	75	72	MC					147
T83	Laetitia Beck	78	70	MC					148
T83	Vicky Hurst	75	73	MC					148
T83	Daniela Iacobelli	76	72	MC					148
T83	Xi Yu Lin*	77	71	MC					148
T83	Benyapa Niphatsophon	76	72	MC					148
T83	Dewi Claire Schreefel*	78	70	MC					148
T83	Bertine Strauss	74	74	MC					148
T83	Suzuka Yamaguchi	76	72	MC					148
T83	Jing Yan	72	76	MC					148
T83	Sakura Yokomine	74	74	MC					148
T93	Allisen S Corpuz	77	72	MC					149
T93	Alejandra Llaneza	78	71	MC					149
T93	Christine Song	77	72	MC					149
T93	Ayako Uehara*	73	76	MC					149
T93	Cheyenne Woods	77	72	MC					149
T98	Amy Anderson	79	71	MC					150
T98	Christel Boeljon	77	73	MC					150
T98	Dori Carter	75	75	MC					150
T98	Jaye Marie Green	77	73	MC					150
T98	Min Seo Kwak	77	73	MC					150
T98	Maude-Aimee Leblanc*	72	78	MC					150
T98	Amelia Lewis	75	75	MC					150
T98	Belen Mozo	72	78	MC					150
T98	Se Ri Pak	75	75	MC					150
T98	Cyna Rodriguez	77	73	MC					150
T98	Rachel Rohanna	79	71	MC					150
T98	Kelly Tan	78	72	MC					150
T98	Anne-Catherine Tanguay	76	74	MC					150
T98	Pavarisa Yoktuan	80	70	MC					150
T112	Brittany Altomare	77	74	MC					151
T112	Karlin Beck	76	75	MC					151
T112	Heather Bowie Young*	75	76	MC					151
T112	Yueer Cindy Feng	78	73	MC					151
T112	Jane Rah	76	75	MC					151
T112	Jiayi Zhou*	76	75	MC					151
T118	Julieta Granada	77	75	MC					152
T118	Yuting Shi	80	72	MC					152
T120	Lisa Ferrero	79	74	MC					153
T120	Alison Lee*	78	75	MC					153
T120	Ji Young Oh	80	73	MC					153
T120	Ashlan Ramsey*	77	76	MC					153
T120	Pannarat Thanapolboonyar	78	75	MC					153
T120	Michelle Wie	80	73	MC					153
T126	Na Yeon Choi	77	77	MC					154
T126	Natalie Gulbis	80	74	MC					154
T126	Wei-Ling Hsu	79	75	MC					154
T126	Tiffany Joh	74	80	MC					154
T126	Wichanee Meechai	80	74	MC					154
T126	Caroline Westrup	79	75	MC					154
T132	Ashleigh Albrecht	81	74	MC					155
T132	Giulia Molinaro	78	77	MC					155
T132	Grace Na	80	75	MC					155
T132	Ryann O'Toole	81	74	MC					155
T132	Giulia Sergas	81	74	MC					155
T137	Mina Harigae	78	78	MC					156
T137	Meena Lee	79	77	MC					156
139	Nicole Jeray	77	80	MC					157
T140	Jaclyn Jansen	79	79	MC					158
T140	Annie Park	83	75	MC					158
T140	Prima Thammaraks	80	78	MC					158
143	Ani Gulugian*	81	78	MC					159
144	Dani Holmqvist	84	WD	.					84
* player started on back nine.