Lydia Ko yesterday took a four-stroke lead in the LPGA Taiwan Championship, putting the 18-year-old New Zealander in position to regain the top spot in the world rankings.
Ko had four birdies in a five-hole stretch and closed with another birdie for a five-under 67 in windy conditions at the rain-soaked Miramar Golf Country Club in Linkou, New Taipei City.
She would jump from second to first in the world with a victory or second-place finish today and also could take the top spot under other scenarios depending on where top-ranked Inbee Park finishes in the Korea LPGA’s KB Financial Star Championship.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
Park, the winner last year at Miramar, was tied for fourth in the South Korean event.
“It’s hard to say: ‘Hey, I’ve got the trophy today,’” Ko said.
“I’ve still got to play a lot of good golf tomorrow. There’s still 18 holes to go... On this course, anything can happen. There’s some large numbers out there. I made a double myself,” she added.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
Ko had a 13-under 203 total. South Korea’s Ji Eun-hee, a stroke ahead after each of the first two rounds, was second after a 72. England’s Charley Hull was another shot back after a 71.
Ko tied for the lead with a 20-foot birdie chip on the par-four 11th and pulled two strokes ahead with a nine-foot birdie putt on the par-five 12th. She made a 14-footer from the fringe on the par-three 14th and a 12-footer on the par-four 15th to push her advantage to four shots.
“After that chip-in, I kind of loosened up and tried to smile a little bit more,” Ko said. “The putts started dropping.”
She matched Ji with a birdie on the par-five 18th, holing an eight-foot putt after reaching the fringe in two and hitting a flop over a hump and past the hole.
Ko played the front nine in even par — making three birdies, a double bogey and a bogey — to fall two strokes behind Hull and one behind Ji.
“I was playing good at the first couple of holes, made a double and then made a bogey,” Ko said. “I think I kind of got a little frustrated about that.”
Hull dropped back with a triple bogey on the par-four 10th after her drive sailed to the right and bounced out of bounds.
“I just hit one right and I wasn’t quite happy with my club,” Hull said. “I should have really hit driver, but I hit a good shot down there with my second ball, so I forgot about that.”
Ji bogeyed 12 and missed a four-foot birdie putt on 13.
Ko is trying to win for the 10th time on the LPGA Tour. She has four other worldwide victories, including the 2013 Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters at Miramar.
South Korea’s Ryu So-yeon was fourth at seven-under after a 70. Scotland’s Catriona Matthew (68) was six-under, and Norway’s Suzann Pettersen (71), Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist (71) and China’s Lin Xiyu (74) were five-under.
Taiwan’s Hsu Wei-ling and Hsieh Yu-ling hit 69s to push them into a share of 24th, catching Tsai Pei-ying on 216 overall, the best-placed of the locals.
Yani Tseng was tied for 49th at five-over after a 76.
Other Taiwanese in the top 50 were Min Lee (33rd on 217 overall), Candie Kung (42nd, 219) and Chang Ya-chun (47th, 220).
Additional reporting by staff writer
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