Key putts set Ko up to duel for title
Lydia Ko’s rollercoaster ride continued at Palos Verdes Golf Club yesterday but she did enough to set up a gripping trans-Tasman duel for a potential 18th LPGA Tour title.
The Kiwi world No 3 was again a mixed bag in the Palos Verdes Championship in California, but reeled off some wonderful putts in a run of five birdies in 12 holes before signing for a third round of one-under-par 70.
That left her seven-under for the tournament, one shot off the lead held by Australia’s world No19 Hannah Green.
The pair will go head-to-head in the final round today, with Ko two shots clear of a nine-way tie for third including such big names as Inbee Park and Lexi Thompson.
After a second round featuring an eagle and a doublebogey, Ko began her third round six-under and playing in the final group with Green who held a three-stroke lead.
Ko again started poorly, with a double bogey on the second and a bogey on the fourth.
But she hit her stride, closing out the front nine with three birdies in five holes including a long, breaking putt for a three on the ninth.
Ko took par on the 10th after nearly holing her approach, before another superbly judged putt from around 8m for birdie on the 15th saw her draw level with Green at seven-under.
Both had birdies on 16 to continue to share the lead at eightunder, before Ko took bogey on 17 then made a sand save from a tough position on the last to keep the margin at one shot.
Green had a mixed day, with her round of 72 including five bogeys, two birdies and an eagle.
Ko hasn’t finished top-10 in her last four tournaments amid a positive test for Covid-19 in Singapore in March. She won her 17th LPGA Tour title at the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio in January.
Ko isn’t the only New Zealand golfer in title contention today.
A third round of two-under 70 left Ryan Fox tied for fifth, four shots behind leader Oliver Bekker, of South Africa, in the Catalunya Championship in Girona, Spain.
Fox had five birdies and three bogeys in his third round.
In the PGA Tour Champions (seniors tour) in the US, Steven Alker’s hot form also continued as he shared the 36-hole lead with Brandt Jobe and Steve Stricker in the Insperity Invitational in Texas.
Alker shot a second round of seven-under 65 to be level at 12-under with Jobe and Stricker in the 54-hole tournament at The Woodlands.
It’s still advantage Manchester City in the English Premier League title race after the league leaders and Liverpool won tricky away matches yesterday.
First up were Liverpool, who won at Newcastle 1-0 despite resting several players, and were briefly atop the table.
Then City won at Leeds 4-0 a few hours later to move back above Liverpool by one point and also move to within one of Liverpool’s goal difference, which is the first tiebreaker in England.
There are four rounds left in their compelling title fight.
‘‘We stuck together and we reduced the goal difference. I don’t know if it is important – but it is in our hands,’’ City coach Pep Guardiola said.
‘‘Newcastle, Wolves, West Ham and Aston Villa. We know exactly what we have to do and we have the same opinion.
‘‘We win, we will be champions. We draw, they [Liverpool] will be champions.’’
Both sides also have the second legs of their Champions League semifinals this week: Liverpool travel to Villarreal with a 2-0 lead, and City play at Real Madrid having also won the first leg 4-3.
With that in mind, Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp rested Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara and Mohamed Salah from the starting lineup.
They should nevertheless have won more comfortably as they dominated. In the end, Naby Keita’s first-half goal did the job.
Relegation-threatened Leeds also came in with impressive form from being unbeaten in the previous five matches.
But Rodri headed City into a halftime lead, and further goals from Nathan Ake, Gabriel Jesus and Fernandinho sealed the result, which was not as comfortable as the scoreline suggests.
Leeds remained one place and five points above third-from-bottom Everton, who have two games in hand.
Norwich were relegated after Dean Smith’s return to Aston Villa ended in a 2-0 defeat.
Goals from Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings inflicted a 10th loss in 12 on Norwich and left them 13 points from safety with four matches remaining.
Watford are also on the brink of going straight back down to the Championship after losing 2-1 to Burnley 2 to become the first team in top-flight history to lose 11 straight home games.
Two late goals consigned Watford to defeat and left them 12 points behind Leeds.
Burnley moved five points clear of the drop.
Southampton were 11 points clear – although they have played a match more than all of the teams around them – after losing 2-1 at home to Crystal Palace. In the other match, Brighton won at Wolverhampton 3-0.