Ariya eyeing another LPGA victory
Play
Washington - Ariya Jutanugarn, who two weeks ago became the first Thai golfer to win an LPGA title, fired a six-under-par 65 yesterday to seize a one-stroke lead after the third round of the LPGA Kingsmill Championship.
Ariya’s bogey-free round put her on 10-under 203 after 54 holes at the Kingsmill layout in Williamsburg, Virginia, with compatriot Pornanong Phatlum and South Korea’s Chun In-gee and Ryu So-yeon one stroke adrift.
After so long a wait to make history for her homeland, Ariya could make the wait for a second Thai title a very short one.
“It’s nice, but actually, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Ariya said. “But it’s good enough for me to be right here.”
The historic victory came at the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic in Alabama but it nearly came in the year’s first major tournament, when Ariya led by two strokes with three holes to play at the ANA Inspiration only to finish with three bogeys in a row and wind up fourth.
Yesterday, Ariya birdied the par-5 third and par-4 fourth and sixth holes, then made a late charge to grab the lead with birdies at the par-3 13th and 17th and par-4 14th.
Chun had the low round of the day with a 62 despite feeling bad, making seven birdies in a row starting at the fourth and adding birdies at the 15th and 16th to put herself in the final trio.
“Because of the weather and because I have allergies, I did not feel good. It was really bad,” Chun said. “And it was windy today, so I did not play with high expectations, but I could focus on my game better.”
Pornanong birdied both par-5s and both par-3 on the front nine but closed the outward half with her lone bogey. She ran off three birdies in a row starting at the par-5 15th to charge into the last trio.
Ryu, who shot 64 on Friday to seize a one-shot lead, settled for a 69. She birdied the par-5 seventh plus nine and 12 but a closing bogey kept her from sharing the lead entering the final round.
Koepka grabs Byron Nelson lead
Second-ranked Jordan Spieth, trying to rebound from two disappointing efforts, remained second after the third round of the PGA Byron Nelson Championship, two strokes back of leader Brooks Koepka.
Reigning US Open Spieth fired a three-under-par 67 in his hometown tournament, taking a bogey at 18 while US compatriot Koepka rescued a closing par with a 10-foot putt to shoot 65 and seize the 54-hole lead on 16-under 194.
“It’s nice to go into the final round with a two-shot lead,” Koepka said. “I hit the ball terrible. It wasn’t anything to brag about at all. I felt like throughout the whole round, all 18 holes. It wasn’t very good but I’m putting it so well.”
Spain’s Sergio Garcia and Americans Matt Kuchar and Bud Cauley shared third on 197.
Spieth is trying to pull off a comeback victory after missing the cut in last week’s Players Championship and suffering a last-day meltdown at the Masters, where a back-nine fade cost him a second consecutive green jacket.
“I was in some really tough spots and was a very stressful round of golf to play because I just don’t have confidence over the ball right now,” Spieth said. “It’s very frustrating and [I’m] actually putting incredible to still be in this tournament.”
Spieth sank a 20-foot birdie putt at the par-3 17th to reach 15-under as the hometown crowd that greeted him with a standing ovation roared again with delight.
“That’s a moment that I’ll never forget,” Spieth said. “To be honest, even though it’s Saturday, may or may not have any impact on this tournament, that was the coolest roar I’ve ever heard. Fantastic walking up to that green.”
But at 18, Spieth was in the trees right of the fairway off the tee and blasted out through a gap to just short of the green while Koepka went over the green on his approach.
Spieth pitched to nine feet while Koepka’s pitch landed 10 feet shy of the cup. But Koepka sank his par putt to secure the lead and Spieth missed, falling two shots adrift.
“It’s a positive that I’m scoring well,” Spieth said.
- AFP
