Lee takes over in Maryland

South Korea’s Jee Young Lee soared to the top of the field as world number one Lorena Ochoa slipped two off the pace after the third round of the women’s major, the McDonald’s LPGA Championship in Maryland.

Lee’s seven-under-par 65 put her 12-under overall, and a shot ahead of Sweden’s Maria Hjorth – with halfway leader Ochoa and 10-time major winner Annika Sorenstam, in a share of third place on 10-under.

Ochoa, aiming for a third major in a row and the second leg of a season’s Grand Slam, led by one going into a third round that had a delayed start because of morning fog in Maryland.

She made a stuttering start with a bogey at the first and then a double-bogey after bunker trouble at the short seventh – but hit back with three second-half birdies.

“It was a disappointing start, and it wasn’t as good as the first two days,” admitted the Mexican, who is bidding for a seventh win of a remarkable season.

“But I’m still in a good position – and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Sorenstam, in her retirement year, had a flawless four-birdie round.

Lee’s only win on the LPGA Tour was in the 2005 CJ Nine Bridges Classic in her native Korea, and the long-hitting 22-year-old made her move with a round of six birdies and an eagle at the long 15th.

It was a disappointing Saturday for the two British players to make the cut. England’s Karen Stupples had two double-bogeys in a back nine of 41 and shot 76 for a two-over-par total.

Scot Mhairi McKay, who made the cut on the final mark, had a double and a triple-bogey in a 77 and was on five-over-par and almost propping up the field.