LPGA’s top two seek first major crown
OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. — When the wind picked up in the afternoon and the sun beat down on Olympia Fields, Chella Choi delivered a smart, steady performance.
The kind that wins major championships.
Choi shot a 4-under 67 on Saturday for a share of the lead with Danielle Kang heading into the final round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Kang birdied the par-5 18th to join Choi at 10 under, setting up a final pairing of two players looking for their first major title.
Kang had a 68, also birdieing the 18th.
Jiyai Shin rocketed up the leaderboard with a 64, the best round of the day and good enough for third all by herself at 8 under. Defending champion Brooke Henderson was another stroke back after a 69.
Kang and Sei Young Kim were tied for the lead after the second round. While Kim stumbled to a 72, the 24-year-old Kang had five birdies and two bogeys.
She saved par with a perfect bunker shot on No. 12 and then birdied the par-4 14th to get to 10 under for the first time. She gave a shot back with just her second bogey of the tournament on 16, but recovered with another nice bunker shot to set up her closing birdie.
Kang on the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2010 in 2011, but she has never won an LPGA Tour tournament.
“I’ve been working on my game every day to get better,” Kang said. “Like I said previously, all I could do is work on my game and hope that every day, just chip away at your game and it gets better every day and that’s where it’s getting at. Every year, I’ve just been performing better. I have trust in my own game.”
The 26-year-old Choi had four birdies and no bogeys. She credited her solid play to her father, Ji Yeon Choi, who is caddying for her again after her play suffered when he retired following her only LPGA Tour victory in the 2015 Marathon Classic.
“I played bad, so my mom tell to my dad, go help Chella, why are you staying here?” Chella Choi said.
U.S. Senior Open
PEABODY, Mass. — Kirk Triplett watched a TV documentary on the Celtics and Lakers before teeing off in the U.S. Senior Open on Saturday, then he and Kenny Perry tried to turn the tournament into a two-man show Larry Bird and Magic Johnson would be proud of.
Starting the day tied at a record 11 under and playing together in the final group, Triplett and Perry turned a two-stroke edge into a five-shot advantage over their nearest competition. Triplett shot a 4-under 66 to improve to 15 under, and Perry was right with him until a bogey on No. 18 dropped him a stroke back.
“It felt like match play; the two of us have separated ourselves a little bit from the field and he kept putting pressure on,” Perry said. “He’s unreal. He doesn’t make many mistakes. I’m going to have to really play good tomorrow to get ahead of him.”
Denying that he was pandering to the Boston crowds, Triplett said he’s been a fan of Bird’s since the 1979 NCAA championship game. He also played golf with Hall of Famer Kevin McHale this spring and called it one of his most enjoyable rounds ever.
Then, Triplett arrived in Celtics territory ready to go one-on-one with Perry.
The two matched each other birdie for birdie and were tied on the 18th, when Perry wound up in the rough above and to the left of the pin. He chipped it past the hole and down a ridge but was able to leave himself a tap-in for bogey.
“I think what we probably both wanted to accomplish today was to get some cushion on the field,” Triplett said. “Kenny hit a lot of good shots. He and I were just, I think, trying to keep pace with each other more so than the guys behind us.”
Brandt Jobe matched the tournament record with a 62 — the same score that Triplett had on Thursday — shooting 29 on the back nine to move into third. Fred Couples and Tom Lehman each shot 70 to head into the final round at Salem Country Club tied for fourth, at 7 under.
After two days of low scores — each round has set a low cumulative record — the wind picked up on Saturday afternoon and made the 6,815-yard, Donald Ross-designed course more of a challenge.
That is, for everyone except Perry and Triplett, who were the only two players in the last seven twosomes to come in under par.