Rose Zhang birdied the 18th hole to card a seven-under-par 65 on Saturday and seize a one-stroke lead after three rounds at the Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The 20-year-old American rookie sensation resides at 18 under on the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club course, just ahead of Thailand's Atthaya Thitikul and Jasmine Suwannapura.
Thitikul shot a tournament 18-hole record 62 today, while Suwannapura - the leader after both the first and second round - carded a 67.
Irish pair Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow are both ten behind Zhang in are in a seven-way tie for 21st place.
Maguire moved up to eight under par after four birdies in a flawless 68, her best round of the week.
Meadow is on the same mark after a three-under 69 that featured five birdies and two bogeys.
Kim Sei-young of South Korea carded a bogey-free 65 to sit in fourth place at 15-under. Megan Khang (65), Taiwan's Peiyun Chien (68) and Japan's Nasa Hataoka (64) are in a three-way tie for fifth place at 14 under.
Zhang holds a 54-hole lead for the first time since she walked away a first-time winner and the newest LPGA Tour member following her professional debut at the Mizuho Americas Open in June.
"I just feel like being able to have this opportunity to come into the final round with a little bit of a lead is really great," Zhang said.
"I think that going forward it's just making sure I'm having fun, having that game plan."
