12 March 2022: A bogey free 66, with three birdies over the last four holes helped Nanna Koerstz Madsen edge ahead of Xiyu Lin and Celine Boutier. The Dane is leading by one at 21-under through 54 holes of the LPGA Thailand in Chonburi. Aditi Ashok seemed to save her best for the weekend. After reaching the weekend at 2-under, Aditi gained four strokes in the third round, moving inside the top 50.
The Indian shot 68 with five birdies. Playing off the tenth tee, Aditi made birdies on either end of that stretch, before going three under with another at the first hole. A bogey five on the third was just a pause, as she picked off back to back birdies on the sixth and seventh to secure a four under card for the day.
This isn’t the first time Nanna Koerstz Madsen been at the top of the leaderboard going into Sunday. In 2021, she was tied with Anna Nordqvist through 54 holes at the AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie. Still neck and neck with her Team European Solheim Cup compatriot on the 72nd hole, Koerstz Madsen’s mis-struck approach, shot followed by a devastating shank out of a greenside bunker, sent her plummeting out of contention.
Now in Thailand, some 50 degrees warmer than Scotland, Koerstz Madsen is in prime position to erase that bad memory and become the LPGA Tour’s first winner from Denmark.
“It would be amazing winning a first LPGA event,” she said. “That’s what I play for, so that would be just awesome.”
On Saturday, Madsen made a solid 66, enough to earn the lead by one over Xiyu Lin, who also shot a 66. Celine Boutier is also tied in second with Lin after posting 67.
Koerstz Madsen initially made her mark on the Epson Tour, capturing three wins in 2017 and earning LPGA Tour Membership via the Race for the Card. An LPGA Tour Member since 2018, Koerstz Madsen has seven top-10 finishes, with runner-up showings at the 2017 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open (as a non-Member) and the 2019 Indy Women in Tech Championship.
