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Park blazes away to course record in LPGA Classic event

Grace Park was as hot as the weather when she fired 5-under par over her final five holes to set a course record and grab the third round lead from Jill McGill in the US$1 million LPGA Classic on Saturday.

Park, of Korea, carded a 7-under-par 65 with four birdies and an eagle on the back nine, moving to a course-record 17-under-par 199 through 54 holes. The old record was 15-under.

After her lone bogey on the 13th. hole, Park, 25, rebounded with a birdie on 14. She shot par on 15 before recording an eagle and a pair of birdies to close out her round in hot and humid conditions.

"It was probably the hottest day of the year," Park said. "Luckily, I brought a change of clothes."

Despite the heat, Park remained cool after driving into the rough on the par-5 16th. She got within 10ft. of the cup on her second shot before putting for eagle.

"There was a tree to the left of me which was going to interfere with my follow through, and I think I would have hit it if I turned around a little bit," Park said of her second shot.

"I was a little bit afraid, so I tried to quit, hit it like a punch shot, and quit really fast so my club wouldn't hit it and I wouldn't get injured."

Park's surge gave her a one-shot lead over McGill, who owned a three stroke lead entering the third round, in search of her second victory of the year.

"Whatever I do, as long as I play a shot better than who is behind me, I'm fine," Park said. "I don't look at who is behind me, I just know there are competitors right there behind me. I got to just make one more birdie than they do."

McGill shot 1-over par on her first nine, but came back with three birdies on the back, finishing at 2-under 70 for the day and 16-under overall.

"Everything was clicking. You just have days like that," McGill said. "Today it was a little bit more of a struggle. Hopefully, I will have a day tomorrow -- every other day is what I'm planning on."

Kang Soo-yun , of Korea, shot 4-under-par 68, featuring three birdies in a four-hole span, and is two shots behind Park.

Laura Diaz has had a roller coaster ride so far. She was tied for the lead after the first round, slipped to a tie for sixth after the second, signed for a 67 and is alone in fourth at 14-under.

Buick Championship

PGA Tour veteran Fred Funk's positive approach paid dividends when he carded a one-under-par 69 to move one stroke clear of the field after the third round of the US$4.2 million Buick Championship on Saturday.

The 47-year-old American finished nine under on 201, one ahead of Tom Byrum (67) and Corey Pavin (68). Joey Sindelar (68) and Hunter Mahan (65) were two shots off the pace at the TPC at River Highlands.

Sweden's Daniel Chopra, Hidemichi Tanaka of Japan, Argentina's Jose Coceres, Tim Herron, Skip Kendall, Woody Austin, Tom Pernice Jr, Kirk Triplett and Hank Kuehne were a further stroke adrift on 204.

"I played really aggressive all day long, just trying to make as many birdies as I possibly could, and it paid off," Funk said.

Funk, who is in the US team for next month's Ryder Cup match against Europe in Detroit, Michigan, began the day tied for the lead with tour rookie Zach Johnson.

The experienced Funk made a fast start with birdies at the opening two holes before slipping back with bogeys at the sixth, seventh and ninth. He also dropped a shot at the 12th but made amends with birdies at the 11th, 14th and 17th.

Johnson, who won his first tour event at the BellSouth Classic in Atlanta in April, bogeyed the third and double-bogeyed the fourth on the way to a 73 for 205.

Pavin, the 1995 US Open champion who has not won on tour since 1996, has enjoyed a renaissance, earning three top-15 finishes in his last three events.
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