Park and Lewis hot up chase
Former champions Inbee Park and Stacy Lewis launched a two-pronged attack on the Ricoh Women’s British Open yesterday.
The duo fed off each other at Kingsbarns to post third-round scores of 64 and 65 after each survived the cut with only a shot to spare.
Park’s bogey- free round equalled the course record set by Michelle Wie on Thursday after she came within half an inch of a 63 when the 29-year-old South Korean’s 30-foot putt at the last shaved the hole.
But the seven- time Major winner from Seoul claimed she wasn’t even aware she had a birdie putt for the record.
The Olympic champion, winner of the event at Turnberry in 2015, said: “I didn’t know about the course record and I wasn’t paying attention to that.
“But it was nice and warm in the morning and I took advantage of the very scoreable conditions.”
With her putter once more red hot after she struggled with the much slower pace of the greens on the first two days, Park said: “My expectation was pretty low after just making the cut and struggling with my ball-striking.
“But the last couple of days, the ball-striking has been solid.”
Park and Lewis have still got a lot of ground to make up to catch another of the South Korean stars, In-Kyung Kim.
The 29-year-old, who led by two after 36 holes, increased her lead to six. Kim carded 66 to head England’s Georgia Hall and Thailand’s Moriya Jutanugarn.
Her 17-under total is also the lowest after three rounds in the history of the event.