Jenny Bae Takes Slim Lead into Final Round at Mexico Riviera Maya Open
Jenny Bae holds a one-shot lead heading into Sunday’s final round of the Mexico Riviera Maya Open, despite a soft finish that prevented her from building a larger cushion.
The LPGA rookie started hot with three straight birdies but couldn’t find another one the rest of the way. Her round stalled when she failed to capitalize on easy scoring holes, and she closed with a bogey on the par-5 18th after needing two shots to escape the crushed coral left of the green.
“I didn’t finish as well as I wanted to, but that’s OK,” Bae said. “Just tells me that I need to fight more the last 18 holes.”
Bae sits at 7-under 209 at El Camaleon course at Mayakoba, where tournament officials moved up tees on the par-4 17th to make it reachable with a fairway metal, and also adjusted the par-5 closing hole to encourage scoring.
China’s Yahui Zhang and Japan’s Chisato Iwai share second place at 6-under 210. Both players finished birdie-birdie, with Zhang posting a 68.
Gabriela Ruffels delivered the day’s most impressive finish. The Australian was 3-over for her round before catching fire with four birdies in her final five holes, including three straight to close. Her late rally salvaged a 71 and left her just two shots back.
“I was just proud of the way I kind of stuck in there,” Ruffels said. “To finish the way I did is really good and some momentum into tomorrow.”
China’s Miranda Wang also showed remarkable resilience. After missing left on consecutive holes—finding bushes on 16 and water on 17—she saved par both times with clutch 15-foot putts. Wang then got up-and-down for birdie on 18 to post 73, leaving her in a seven-way tie at 4-under 212, just three shots off the lead.
Bae missed several opportunities to extend her advantage. She couldn’t convert a 6-foot birdie putt on the par-5 13th. On the drivable 17th, her pitch rolled through to the collar, forcing her to settle for par. Then came the 18th hole troubles.
“I feel like I definitely left a few birdies out there, but it’s OK because I know those chances that I missed today could also be the birdies that I get tomorrow,” Bae said.
What makes Sunday particularly intriguing is that none of the top 11 players on the leaderboard have ever won an LPGA event. The tournament marks the tour’s return to Mexico for the first time since 2017, though it didn’t attract many top-ranked players, with Charley Hull at No. 15 being the highest-ranked competitor.
For Bae and her closest pursuers, that means a golden opportunity awaits in the final round, just one week before the U.S. Women’s Open.
