Miyu Yamashita of Japan maintained a two-stroke lead after carding a 5-under 67 in the third round of the Maybank Championship in Malaysia, moving closer to defending her title at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club. Yamashita, the 2025 Women’s British Open champion, stands at 18-under 198, matching her final total from last year’s win, which was decided in a three-way playoff. Her round included six birdies and a bogey at the par-4 16th hole.

“It was a very nice round today,” Yamashita said. “I had a few tricky situations during the round, but I managed to get through them and finish without dropping a shot, so I’m really pleased with that.”

China’s Yan Liu and France’s Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, who led after the first round, are tied for second place at 16-under. Liu posted the best round of the day with a 9-under 63, featuring an eagle on the par-5 18th hole. She finished her day by holing out from about 100 meters.

“What a finish. What a day for me,” Liu said. “I just really enjoy today. I focus on my game. I think my swing is in very good position and my putting is on fire today to be honest. Yeah, really happy for my putter, and I hope tomorrow it’s the same.”

Roussin-Bouchard recorded a 67, with eight birdies and three bogeys, hitting 14 of 18 greens in regulation and taking only 27 putts on Saturday. She remains within striking distance of her first LPGA Tour victory.

“Whatever comes my way I’ll be ready to just face it on, and, yeah, same mindset,” Roussin-Bouchard said. “Nothing is really going to be changing.”

Amateur Marisa Tojai of Thailand and Robyn Choi of Australia are tied for fourth place at 14-under after shooting 65 and 66, respectively. They sit two strokes ahead of a chasing group including India’s Aditi Ashok (66), France’s Perrine Delacour (67), and Spain’s Julia Lopez Ramirez (71) as the tournament moves into its final round.