Sweden’s Linn Grant carded a 5-under-par 65 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead into the final round at The Annika at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla.
Six pursuers are within four strokes of Grant’s 14-under score through three rounds. Jennifer Kupcho, who matched Grant’s bogey-free 65, is one shot back at 13 under, while Russia’s Nataliya Guseva and Australia’s Grace Kim are three strokes off the pace.
American Lucy Li, Mexico’s Gaby Lopez and South Korea’s Haeran Ryu are in a group of three at 10 under.
Grant bogeyed the first hole on Friday but has since recorded 13 birdies and no miscues. She posted all five of her birdies in a 10-hole stretch (Nos. 5-14) on Saturday.
The 26-year old has four top-10 finishes in 2025, but she is looking for her first title since a 2023 victory in the Dana Open.
“I’m sitting in a very uncomfortable but very nice spot,” Grant said. “I think tomorrow I’m just going to go out and kind of try to do the same. Trying to think that anything that happens is meant to happen and hope that I do play well and that nobody plays too well, I guess.
“But no, just go out and have fun and do what I’ve been doing so far. Hope that that puts me on top of the leaderboard.”
Kupcho produced some up-and-down play in the first two rounds but carded five birdies and no bogeys on Saturday. She credits her putting with her move into contention this weekend.
“Out here, the greens are so slick and you’re really trying to make the putt instead of have a 5-footer coming back, so I think that confidence in my putter definitely helps as well,” Kupcho said.
Guseva, who played at the University of Miami, shot the round of the day with a 7-under 63. She birdied seven of her final 10 holes and posted a 29 on the inward half.
“The most important thing out here, especially this golf course, (is) to be patient, and it’s really hard in general like setup out here with the fast greens and with the really slope-y greens, so being patient is the most important thing,” Guseva said. “I mean, I’ve been patient I feel like the whole season, so it’s kind of nice to get some things rolling for you out here.”
Grant is guardedly optimistic heading into Sunday’s final round.
“But anything can happen,” she said. “I’m expecting other players to play well and thinking that I need to up my game and do at least the same as today.”
–Field Level Media
