Simpson chasing first title and teenager out to make LPGA history

The 25-year-old from North Carolina claimed five birdies in a row from the second hole to join Watson at 12 under par overall.

Simpson was seeking his first US PGA Tour title, with his second-placed finish at the Transitions Championship in Tampa Bay in March the closest he had come so far. He shot three successive 67s there before a final-round 69 saw him just miss out on the title.

Watson, aiming for his second Tour crown of the season after winning the Farmers Insurance Open in California in January, was two under for the day having led by one at the halfway stage.

England’s Luke Donald, who missed out on the world No 1 ranking with his play-off defeat at The Heritage eight days ago, was five shots off the pace after a round of two-under-par 70 left him at seven under for the tournament.

John Rollins was a shot behind Simpson and Watson in third, while six players were two behind the leaders including George McNeill, whose 65 was the best round of the day.

Also in the pack at 10 under were Steve Stricker and KJ Choi.

Sixteen-year-old American Alexis Thompson shared the lead going into the final day of the Avnet LPGA Classic in Mobile, Alabama, as she aimed to become the youngest winner of an LPGA event in the tour’s 61-year history.

Thompson shot six birdies in a five-under-par round of 67 to join Kim Song-hee of South Korea at the top of the third-round leaderboard, with Kim going two under in her round. She had held joint top spot at the end of round one with fellow Korean Grace Park.

Another South Korean Amy Yang was a shot behind the leading pair in third while Dover-born Karen Stupples’s level-par round of 72 left her a further shot back in a tie for fourth with a round to play.

She was joined at five under overall by Sweden’s Maria Hjorth and Norwegian Suzann Pettersen.

Seo Hee-kyung shot a best-of-the-day 65.