World No. 1 Yani Tseng (曾雅妮) thrilled her home fans as she shot a five-under-par 67 yesterday to take the outright lead at the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship going into the final round.
Tseng holds a two-stroke lead over Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist after the Taiwanese recorded seven birdies and two bogeys en route to the round of the day at the windy Sunrise Golf & Country Club.
A victory in Yangmei would be 22-year-old Tseng’s seventh LPGA Tour victory and 11th international win this season.
Photo: Sam Yeh, AFP
“It would be very, very special to win in this tournament tomorrow because this is the first time so many people is [sic] coming to watch us and is just, you know, it is my honor,” Tseng said. “I can share this honor with all the fans there.”
Nordqvist, who has won twice on the LPGA Tour, shot a solid 71 in trying conditions to stay in contention, along with Spain’s Azahara Munoz, who carded a 72.
“I’m really excited about tomorrow, obviously playing the last group with Aza and Yani,” Nordqvist said. “It’s really exciting. Just every time you put yourself in a position to win, this is what I dream of and practice for.”
Tseng said the blustery conditions made life tricky.
“I’ve been really, really patient, and before I go out [sic], the first tee, I told my caddie, ‘this wind like this, even par is a really good score,’ and I shot five-under,” she said. “So I was really proud of myself and very happy with what I did today and being patient all day.”
The wind has plagued players throughout the week, making the already difficult Robert Trent Jones Jr course even more daunting. The first two rounds brought only a total of 47 rounds under par out of the 90-player field. A mere 10 players shot under-par rounds yesterday.
South Korea’s Amy Yang, who is still in search of her first career LPGA Tour victory, faltered down the stretch with a double-bogey on the 17th hole, but is still only four shots behind Tseng.
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