LPGA Drive Championship: Jodi Ewart Shadoff, joint leader on the way to final round

Jodi Ewart Shadoff (right) is accompanied by friend and fellow player Holly Clyburn as her temporary caddy -5 D Kang (USA), J Ewart Shadoff (Eng), C Boutier (Fra); -3 Y Kuwamoto (Jpn), S Schmelzel (USA); -2 S Burnham (USA), M Lee (Aus), A Olson (USA), L Pace (SA) Selected others: +1 M Reid (Eng), G Dryburgh (Sco) Leaderboard

The English Jodi Ewart Shadoff stands in three ways for the lead that leads to the last round of Sunday goes. from the Drive On Championship at Inverness Club, Ohio.

Ewart Shadoff, 32, pelted the 18th to achieve level par 72 and joined French Celine Boutier (71) and American Danielle Kang, (73) , at five under par.

The Japanese Yui Kuwamoto and the American Sarah Schmelzel are two shots further back.

It is the first LPGA Tour event to be held after the season, ended in February due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ewart Shadoff, who is chasing her first ever win at the LPGA Tour event, remains in discussion at the 54-hole event after a mixed appearance on the last nine, including three birdies, a bogey on the 11th and a double bogey on the 15th in rainy conditions.

"I like to play in difficult weather," said Ewart Shadoff.

"Wind or rain is fine – but both can be a bit of a challenge, so I'm glad we had the wind on Friday and the rain on Saturday."

World number four Kang, who won the Women's PGA Championship in 2017, started the second round as an outright leader, but had three consecutive bogeys from the 13th hole.

"It was a very different challenge," said Kang, who scored a 66 in the opening round. "It was a different golf course. Suddenly it is cold, it was raining, everything is wet."

Boutier was one of only nine players to score an underpowered round with her 71 including three birdies.