Rockland’s Khang one back at LPGA major
Megan Khang, a Rockland native, shot 70 Saturday and is one shot back entering the final round of the Chevron Championship at The Woodlands, Texas.
Allisen Corpuz and Angel Yin shared the lead at 10-under 206.
Corpuz and Yin each shot 5under-par 67 at The Club at Carlton Woods in the major tournament that moved from the California desert to suburban Houston this year.
Khang shot a 33 on the front nine but cooled off after that with three bogeys in the last nine holes to finish with a 70.
“Everyone knows mistakes are going to happen, and to try to minimize it the best we can is our goal,” she said.
Corpuz started strong, with birdies on four of the first five holes, including the first three. She had a chance to birdie the 18th in a bogey-free round, but her putt rolled just shy.
Yin had four birdies on the back nine, highlighted by one on the 18th that moved her into the tie for first.
Corpuz and Yin are both looking for their first LPGA Tour title, but the two have very different plans if they win this one Sunday.
When the tournament — best known as the Dinah Shore — was at Mission Hills, it was highlighted by the traditional victory leap into Poppie’s Pond, which surrounded the 18th green. Winners had been jumping into it since 1988.
Organizers of this tournament tried to maintain some of that history and have a much murkier lake on the 18th, causing debate about whether the tradition will continue this year.
Corpuz said she doesn’t think she’ll jump. Yin has a different plan.
“Let me win, and then I’ll do anything,” she said with a laugh.
Saturday was a beautiful and sunny day after two rain-soaked days forced delays at the tournament. The third round began after 31 players, including Yin, finished the second round Saturday after they couldn’t complete it before dark Friday night in the first women’s major tournament of the season.
Amy Yang, Albane Valenzuela, and Khang tied for third, a stroke behind.
World No. 2 Nelly Korda was among four players tied for sixth at 8 under. Korda, who shot a 70, is healthy after missing four months and a lot of momentum last year with a blood clot in her arm that required surgery.
A Lim Kim, who led after two rounds, had two bogeys and a double bogey to shoot a 72 and tumble into a tie for sixth with Korda.
Top-ranked Lydia Ko and Lexi Thompson were among those who didn’t make the cut that was 1 over with 68 players in the cutline.
A highlight of the third round was a million-dollar shot by In Gee Chun of South Korea. She won $1 million for charity with a hole-in-one on the 17th.
Clark-Hossler on top
Wyndham Clark and Beau Hossler shot a 10-under 62 in better-ball play to maintain a one-shot lead through three rounds at the Zurich Classic in Avondale, La.
Clark and Hossler have finished each of the first three rounds atop the leaderboard on the strength of steady and largely mistake-free play. While they have not accounted for any of the 25 eagles during the tournament, they have not posted a single bogey in 54 holes, either.
They birdied 10 holes in the third round to put them at 26 under — a stroke ahead of Sungjae Im and Keith Mitchell — heading into the final round.
Tied for third were Vincent Norman and Matthias Schwab, Taylor Moore and Matthew NeSmith, and Nick Hardy and Davis Riley, three shots back.
All 35 teams to make the cut began the third round within six shots of one another. But just 12 teams were within six shots of the lead heading into Sunday. Gooch leads LIV by 10
Talor Gooch continued his bogey-free run at the inaugural LIV Australia tournament and shot his second consecutive 10under 62 to increase his lead to 10 strokes after two rounds at Adelaide.
Gooch had a 36-hole total of 124 going into Sunday's final round. He led by four strokes after the opening round.
As tournament leader, the 31year-old American began his round on the first hole Saturday in the shotgun-start format and posted four birdies in five holes from the ninth hole. He birdied his final hole at the Grange to take his lead into double digits.
There was a six-way tie for second, including Brooks Koepka, who shot 65.
Local favorite Cam Smith was another stroke back and in a tie for eighth after a 66. Phil Mickelson was among that group after a 65.