Japan’s Minami Katsu plays a shot during the third round of the 2025 Buick LPGA Shanghai in Shanghai on October 11, 2025.
Japan’s Minami Katsu takes a two-stroke lead into the fourth round of the 2025 Buick LPGA Shanghai on Saturday, while Chinese amateur Xu Ying placed at sixth.
SHANGHAI, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) — Japan’s Minami Katsu held a two-stroke lead after the third round of the 2025 Buick LPGA Shanghai on Saturday, while Chinese amateur Xu Ying impressed with a strong performance to sit in a tie for sixth.
Katsu set a tournament single-round record on Friday with an 11-under-par score to establish a comfortable advantage. She continued her fine form on Moving Day, carding a 4-under 68 for a 17-under total to top the leaderboard alone. World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand and major champion Lee Min-jee of South Korea shared second place at 15 under.
China’s amateur Xu Ying plays a shot during the third round of the 2025 Buick LPGA Shanghai in Shanghai on October 11, 2025.
Sixteen-year-old Xu had a bogey on the second hole before firing eight birdies to finish at 12 under, tied for sixth with Kim Sei-young of South Korea and five others.
“Playing alongside two LPGA champions today made me realize the gap I still have,” Xu said. “On the LPGA Tour, physical strength matters a lot because of the tight schedule. I haven’t trained enough on that part, so I’ll focus more on it going forward.”
The final round will take place on Sunday. Xu added that “As an amateur, I’m not afraid of anything. If there’s a chance to win, I’ll play aggressively.”
Another Chinese amateur Zhou Shiyuan made one birdie, one bogey and an eagle on the 17th to reach 10 under, tied for 13th. Defending champion Yin Ruoning of China carded a total of 5 under, tied for 32nd. ■
