Korda keeps lead in Olympic golf

KAWAGOE, Japan (AP) — Seven holes into the third round of Olympic women's golf, Nelly Korda was making it look easy.

She made three birdies, at one point stretching her lead to five shots. The one time she was out of position, the 23-year-old American blasted out of a bunker right of the green on the par-3 seventh and it hit the pin for a tap-in par.

One hole changed everything but the name atop the leaderboard.

Korda survived a battle with her swing, closed with 12 straight pars for a 2-under 69 and held a three-shot lead going into the final round in her pursuit of a gold medal.

“I didn't have a really good back nine. I was kind of spraying it all over the place. I had some testy par putts,” Korda said. “But made all pars and I fought really hard to stay in it really, or ahead of it.”

She was ahead by three shots over Aditi Ashok of India, who is nearly last in the 60-player field driving and near the top in sheer determination. She had a 68.

And for now, there will be a final round at Kasumigaseki Country Club.

Olympic golf officials plan to start play as early as possible Saturday and take advantage of a window they hope is big enough to squeeze in 72 holes before a tropical storm in the forecast arrives.

“I’m just more having fingers, toes and everything crossed to say that the weather gods will allow us to play tomorrow,” said Lydia Ko of New Zealand, who was five shots behind. “I feel like the Olympics itself has gone through so much, and Tokyo has gone through so much to host us. For it to be cut short ... I feel like it will sum up the whole situation."

Korda had made birdie on every par 5 for the tournament and had 80 yards to the pin for her third shot at the par-5 eighth. But she hit a clunker that rolled down the ridge 50 feet away, left that some 10 feet short and three-putted for bogey.

Mone Inami of Japan, given the honor of hitting the opening tee shot, missed a 7-foot par putt on the final hole for a 68. She was five shots behind in a four-way tie for third with Ko (66), Hannah Green of Australia (67) and Emily Kristine Pedersen of Denmark (70).