Evian Championship 2017: Moriya Jutanugarn Moves into Lead in Saturday's Play

Moriya Jutanugarn moved into sole possession of first place at the 2017 Evian Championship on Saturday by virtue of a three-under 68 at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France.

Jutanugarn entered the day trailing Sung Hyun Park for the lead by two strokes, but the 23-year-old Thailand native took advantage of an inconsistent two-over round of 73 by Park.

Here is a look at the leaderboard through two rounds, with Jutanugarn leading Japan's Ayako Uehara by one shot at nine-under:

1. Moriya Jutanugarn: -9 (68)

2. Ayako Uehara: -8 (66)

3. Katherine Kirk: -7 (69)

T4. Lydia Ko: -6 (68)

T4. In-Kyung Kim: -6 (69)

T4. Sung Hyun Park: -6 (73)

T7. Jennifer Song: -5 (65)

T7. Shanshan Feng: -5 (68)

T7. Angela Stanford: -5 (68)

T7. Georgia Hall: -5 (69)

After inclement weather limited play Thursday, the LPGA erased all scores and made the Evian Championship a three-round event beginning Friday, meaning Sunday's third round will be the final one of the major tournament.

Jutanugarn enjoyed a steady round that included five birdies and two bogeys, putting her in prime position to win her first career major.

As seen in the following highlight video courtesy of the LPGA Tour's official Twitter account, Jutanugarn excelled in all areas, with precision putting, accurate approaches and even strong sand play:

Jutanugarn did just enough to pull into the lead with Park struggling, but there were several top contenders in hot pursuit.

Uehara enjoyed one of the day's best rounds with a five-under 66, which gave her an opportunity to win not only her first career major but also her first career LPGA tournament.

Saturday's best performance came courtesy of American Jennifer Song, who moved into a four-way tie for seventh place at five-under by virtue of a six-under 65.

Song played a clean round and acknowledged after the fact that she didn't expect that to be the case, per the LPGA: "I'm really surprised I had a bogey-free round, but I'll have to play pretty aggressive tomorrow."

The 27-year-old Song is tied with Shanshan Feng of China, fellow American Angela Stanford and England's Georgia Hall.

This highlight package showed how Stanford gained some ground by carding a three-under 68:

Stanford has finished tied for sixth or better at least once in every major championship, but the 39-year-old veteran is still in search of her first title.

Major champion and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Feng shot a 68 as well and did much of her damage off the tee:

While Uehara was one shot back and Katherine Kirk two strokes off the pace, Jutanugarn's toughest competition may come from a trio of major champions tied for fourth at six-under.

South Koreans Park and In-Kyung Kim are among them, though Park posted five bogeys in the second round:

Lydia Ko is already a two-time major winner at 20 years of age, including the Evian Championship two years ago.

The New Zealander recorded her second consecutive 68, but she could have been even better Saturday with a bit more luck on her side, as evidenced by the Golf Channel:

Sunday will be a career-defining round for Jutanugarn since she is in such close proximity to so many accomplished golfers.

She has never finished better than tied for 10th in a major, and she has no experience being in this position on a big stage.

Despite that, the fact that no other golfer has matched her level of consistency thus far makes her the favorite entering the final round.