Wichanee Meechai has a share of the three-way lead at the US Women’s Open, and every reason to feel out of place at the top of a crowded leaderboard.
The 31-year-old from Thailand, ranked 158th in the world, is tied at five-under-par through three rounds with the two-time major winner Minjee Lee of Australia, and the world No 17 and Stanford alum Andrea Lee.
At Lancaster this week, Meechai has been playing like she has been here all along. She delivered two big pars on Saturday afternoon in a one-under 69 – and thankfully, her bad dream on Friday night that she forgot to sign her scorecard did not come to pass.
“I dream about the US Open. I think it’s in my mind, very deep in there,” said Meechai, who is staying by herself at a rental home during the tournament in Pennsylvania. “I don’t think I can get rid of it. I’m just trying to get along with it.”
Minjee Lee was going nowhere until she hit a six-iron to tap-in range for eagle on the par-five 7th to climb the leaderboard. Equally impressive was her tee shot to a scary front left pin on the notorious par-three 12th for birdie as she matched the low score of the championship with a four-under-par 66.
Andrea Lee played bogey-free on the back nine with back-to-back birdies that got her into the final group, while the former British Open champion Hinako Shibuno had seven birdies for a 66 and was two behind. Another shot back was her Japanese compatriot Yuka Saso, the only other player to remain under par after the third round.
Of the five players who look destined to fight it out for the title and $2.4m prize money, all of the chasing pack have experienced big moments — major champions in Minjee Lee, Shibuno and Saso, the Solheim Cup pressure for Andrea Lee.
But it was Meechai who put it all in perspective going into the final round. “It’s nothing to be afraid of,” she said. “Everyone has the same thing. Just another round of the tournament. Go with it and have fun on the course.”
