Windy Texas conditions are no problem for Nomura
IRVING, Texas — Haru Nomura of Japan still had fun on another windy day on the LPGA Tour in North Texas.
Despite a 1-over-par 72 with a late double bogey in the third round, she actually doubled her lead Saturday.
“I have fun, yeah,” said Nomura, who at 8-under 205 takes a twostroke lead into the final round. “I like windy and tough conditions, and from fairway to green. Yeah, I love it.”
Nomura, who led by only one stroke after 36 holes, leads by two over 17-year-old amateur Eun Jeong Seong (69). Cristie Kerr shot 70 and two-time Texas winner Inbee Park a 71.
With winds of about 20 mph and a threatening storm creating difficult conditions for the second straight day, only three players shot in the 60s on Saturday.
Stacy Lewis had a bogey-free 66 that pushed her from tied for 44th place after 36 holes up to fifth.
“I was excited about the early tee time because I knew getting out earlier would be an advantage to post a number and just see what happens,” Lewis said. “It’s playing really hard and you just have to be really patient.”
Lewis has 11 career victories, but hasn’t won since 2014, when the Texas event was the first of her three victories in a season when she was the LPGA’s top player.
Kerr won the LPGA Lotte Championship in Hawaii two weeks ago before the tour had last week off. That was her 19th career victory.
“I’m just staying in the moment. If I make a mistake, I’m not getting too caught up in it,” Kerr said. “I don’t feel like I’ve peaked this week yet. I’ve had some chances to shoot some low numbers, but just haven’t quite made the putts.”
The second-round leaders teed off nearly 3½ hours earlier than scheduled Saturday, and in threesomes instead of twosomes. But play was finished without any rain.
Ariya Jutanugarn started the day a stroke off the lead and with a win this weekend would take over as the world’s No. 1-ranked player. But the third-ranked Jutanugarn shot a 76 with six bogeys and settled in a group of five players, including her sister Moriya (74), who are five strokes off the lead.
ZURICH CLASSIC: In Avondale, La., Swede Jonas Blixt and Australian Cameron Smith prolonged their bogey-free run to three rounds in the new team format at the Zurich Classic, deftly adjusting to gusting winds and posting a 4-under 68 to widen their lead to four strokes.
Alternating shots on Saturday as teams did in the first round, the Blixt-Cameron partnership posted four birdies to improve to 19-under, building on a lead that stood at one shot through two rounds. They are the only team without a bogey.
The Kevin Kisner-Scott Brown and Nick Watney-Charley Hoffman teams were tied for second. Also still in contention are Jordan Spieth and Ryan Palmer, five shots behind.
The final round, which will start earlier than planned — at 6:40 a.m. — because of rain in the forecast, will return to the “best ball” format used in the second round, in which each team takes the best score per hole.