Ko storms up leaderboard with blemish-free round
Lydia Ko stormed into the top 10 on day three of the Lotte Championship in Hawaii.
Tied 40th at two-under par at the halfway point of the latest tournament on the LPGA Tour calendar, the 19-year-old Kiwi fighting to retain her world No 1 ranking fired a blemish-free seven-under 65 in the third round yesterday.
The superb display, which included seven birdies and 11 pars, had Ko in a three-way tie for seventh at nine-under at the Ko Olina Golf Club, eight shots off leader SuYeon Jang. Bidding to become the first sponsor’s invite to win on the LPGA Tour since Ko’s win at the 2013 Canadian Open, the South Korean backed up dual rounds of 67 by matching Ko with a sevenunder 65 in the third round.
At 17-under, Jang had a three shot lead from American Cristie Kerr and Canada’s Alena Sharp, Kerr producing the round of the day by dropping 10 birdies in a brilliant round of 10-under 62.
The two players threatening to take the top ranking from Ko were also right in the mix.
Third-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand was outright fifth at 11-under, while second-ranked So Yeon Ryu of South Korea was outright sixth at 10-under.
Victory for either player this weekend could see Ko’s 77-week reign at the top come to an end.
Thanks to thunderstorms and plenty of rain, a softer Ko Olina course was ripe for the picking in the third round and after making a steady with four consecutive pars, Ko began to hit her straps.
The North Shore teen made birdie at the fifth, sixth and eighth holes to make the turn in threeunder 33, before her day got even better coming in. Ko started the back nine with her fourth birdie, also picking up shots at the 14th, 15th and 17th to climb no less than 32 places up the leaderboard.
Despite having struggles with her putter to start the 2017 season, it was that very club that played the primary role in the strong performance. Ko hit only nine of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens in regulation, but needed just 24 putts in an impressive display with the flat stick.
Meanwhile, Danny Lee has failed to back up his strong start at the latest PGA Tour event in South Carolina. Tied for fifth after an impressive five-under 66 in the first round of the RBC Heritage, the Kiwi men’s No 1 was marred by inconsistency in round two, carding a one-over 72.
Lee, who made five birdies, four bogeys and a double-bogey, is four-under for the tournament in a share of 25th, six shots behind the leading duo of Graham DeLaet of Canada and Englishman Luke Donald.
Both DeLaet and Donald shot 67 in the second round to take a twostroke lead over Ian Poulter and Webb Simpson.