Ko moves up at Open but is too far back
New Zealand world No 2 Lydia Ko got into red numbers for the first time at the women’s US Open yesterday but her one-under 69 left her nine shots adrift of leader Amy Yang in Pennsylvania.
Ko, who is searching for her first victory in a major, has had an unspectacular tournament so far, but her third round was an improvement on a 70-72 start.
A double bogey on the first hole looked ominous, but the 18-year-old recovered for a birdie at the second.
The Aucklander got two more birdies on the front nine, but only managed one on the way back and a bogey on the 16th was a disappointment.
Ko is tied for 18th and will need to pull out something extraordinary today to be in the mix.
Yang, for the third time in four years, will be in the final group at a US Open. This time, at eight-under par, she’ll have a three-stroke cushion over her nearest competitor Stacey Lewis, and plenty of experience to draw on.
‘‘It was good experience, the last two – the final group experience,’’ she said. ‘‘Me and my coach, we prepared. We practiced hard. I’ll go out there and I’ll just do my best.’’
Yang and Lewis both shot 69 on a day when all the action was outside the top two spots.
Gee Chun, playing in her first US Open, shot 68 to be alone in third place at fou-under; Japan’s Shiho Oyama is fourth at three-under after a 71.
Defending champion Michelle Wie played with nagging hip and ankle pain, firing a 68 to be in a fourway tie for fifth at two-under, along with two-time winner and world No 1 Inbee Park (70).
History was made in the third round when South Korea’s Chella Choi shot the first nine-hole score of 29 for the championship. But the 24-year-old missed a three-foot putt on her final hole that would have tied the championship’s singleround scoring record. She settled for a 6-under 64, shooting up the leaderboard into the pack at 2-under.
On Sunday, Yang will again be one of the last to tee off in the US Open. She has been in the last grouping two of the past three years, and in 2010. At Pinehurst No 2 in 2014, she played with Wie, was overtaken by eventual runner-up Lewis and settled for fourth. In 2012, she finished second to Na Yeon Choi, and placed fifth in 2010.