Emma Talley got off to another strong start Friday in the third round of the LPGA’s Lotte Championship in Hawaii.
Two birdies on the front nine got Talley to 9-under overall and, briefly, put her into a tie for fifth place.
However, a late stumble dropped Talley into an eight-way tie for 21st place.
The former Caldwell County High School and University of Alabama star bogeyed Nos. 14 and 16, then suffered a double-bogey on the par-4 18th hole.
That gave her a 2-over-par total of 74 in the third round and left her at 5-under through 54 holes.
Brooke Henderson and Nelly Korda top the leaderboard at 15-under. Minjee Lee and Eun-Hee Ji are each just one shot back.
Talley has already bettered last year’s showing in the event when she failed to make the cut. She will add to her $452,091 in career earnings on Saturday.
Talley will tee off at 3:12 p.m. Central time Saturday. Her playing partners will be Nasa Hataoka and Mariajo Uribe.
The final round of the Lotte Championship will air on Golf Channel beginning at 6 p.m.