Top-ranked Lydia Ko on Saturday made three straight birdies early on the back nine in the Kia Classic and finished with a five-under 67 to take a three-stroke lead.
Ko birdied holes 11 to 13 and closed with five straight pars to reach 14-under 202 at Aviara in the final event before the major ANA Inspiration next week in Rancho Mirage.
“I would rather be a couple shots ahead than a couple shots behind,” Ko said. “But the girls are playing great golf. The course is tough, but still, the scores are out there. So I have just got to focus on my game. Anything can happen.”
Photo: AFP
The 18-year-old New Zealander saved par with a 10-foot putt on the par-four 18th, and has played bogey-free since her second hole in the first round. She won five times last season and is coming off a second-place finish last week in the Founders Cup in Phoenix.
“I struck the ball really well,” Ko said. “I think almost the harder part was that because I was giving myself a lot of opportunities, it almost felt like I was not putting good, but I was stroking good and holing a few putts here and there. I am really proud with the way I played today. Obviously, I have got to take the positives and the confidence going into tomorrow.”
Park Sung-hyun, Brittany Lang and second-round leader Jenny Shin were tied for second.
Park had five straight birdies on holes 12 to 16, made a double-bogey on the par-five 17th, and closed with a birdie for a 68. Lang had a 70, making three birdies and four bogeys on the back nine. Shin shot 71.
“A lot of up-and-downs on the back nine, which I do not like doing,” Lang said. “I was not quite as sharp on the back nine. I do not know if I got a little tired or a little out of what I was doing … but to come out with two-under and still be right there, I am very happy and excited for tomorrow.”
Second-ranked Inbee Park was 10-under after a 70.
Kaohsiung-born US player Candie Kung was tied for 11th place on seven-under after a 65, Taiwan’s Hsu Wei-ling was four shots further back after a 72 and former world No. 1 Yani Tseng was last on eight-over after a 78.
Minjee Lee had a hole-in-one on the par-four 16th hole — the second ace on a par-four this season. Lee used a five-wood on the 234-yard (213.97m) hole.
“It was a little right-to-left down wind, so just hit it a little right and then it was going with the wind and went in the hole,” Lee said. “I did not see it go in.”
Lee was five-under after a 70.
Two months ago, Jang Ha-na became the first player in LPGA Tour history to make a hole-in-one on a par-four when she accomplished the feat at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic. Jang holed out from 218 yards (199.34m).
Additional reporting by staff writer
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