Jennifer Kupcho and Ally Ewing took the lead after Saturday's third round of the LPGA Great Lakes Bay Invitational with a clutch performance, sinking a four-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole. Their three-under-par 67 in alternate shot format brought them to a total of 15-under 195 after 54 holes at Michigan's Midland Country Club.

In the alternate shot format used for the first and third rounds, the American pair capitalized with birdies on crucial holes like the par-4 fifth, par-4 10th, and par-5 11th. Despite a bogey on the 16th hole, they closed strong with another birdie on the challenging par-3 18th.

"The wind was a little gusty and swirly out there," commented Ewing. "Getting in the round at three-under felt good."

Sharing second place at 196 are South Korea's Kang Hae-ji and Kim In-kyung, who shot 65 but missed a chance to lead after a closing bogey, and the team of China's Yin Ruoning and Thailand's Atthaya Thitikul. Yin and Thitikul recovered from a double-bogey on the par-3 fourth with a strong finish, including birdies on three of the last four holes for a 66.

Two strokes behind the leaders at 197 are the American duo Caroline Inglis and Amanda Doherty, along with Auston Kim (USA) and Grace Kim (Australia), positioning themselves well for the final round of the $3 million event, which will feature four-ball format.