Jang Ha-na shot a 10-under 62 in calmer conditions at rainy Miramar yesterday to take a six-stroke lead in the Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship.
Chasing her third victory of the year, the 24-year-old South Korean player hit a 30-yard flop shot to a foot in steady rain on the par-five 18th to reach 16-under 200.
After shooting a 69 in high wind and early rain on Friday for a share of the lead with fellow South Korean player Park Hee-young, Jang matched the best score in the three years the event has been played at Miramar.
Photo: CNA
South Korea’s Inbee Park set the mark in 2014 and England’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff tied it earlier on Saturday.
Jang birdied three of the last four holes.
China’s Feng Shanshan was second after a 67, while Park Hee-young was another shot back after a 69. Canada’s Brooke Henderson and South Africa’s Lee-Anne Pace each shot 69 to get to eight-under.
Shadoff was tied for eighth at six-under, as was Kaohsiung native Candie Kung, who shot a third-round 68 for 210 overall.
Hsu Wei-ling Hsu, Cheng Ssu-chia and Tsai Pei-ying were the next three best-placed Taiwanese in a share of 34th with 215 overall.
Additional reporting by staff writer
FIJI OPEN
AFP, SUVA
Brandt Snedeker of the US tamed the wind yesterday to take a three-shot lead on the third day of the European Tour-sanctioned Fiji International at the Natadola Bay Golf Course.
Battling the breeze, the eight-time PGA tour winner fired a two-under 70 to go with his opening rounds of 69 and 65 to pull clear of Australian Anthony Houston, who had a third-round 73.
Overnight leader Matthew Giles struggled in the wind with the Australian’s three-over 75 pushing him back to third on 208, one stroke ahead of New Zealanders Michael Hendry and Gareth Paddison.
Snedeker had little time to get the feel of the course after flying in late from the US’ Ryder Cup victory and had a bogey at the second in the opening round.
He then put together a blemish-free run of 49 holes before tripping up with a bogey on the 16th in the third round and then immediately regained the stroke with a birdie on the next hole.
“It was a tough day, I did a great job of hanging in there,” Snedeker said. “I hit the ball really well off the tee with one exception and put the ball where I needed to all day.”
“A three-shot lead in wind like this is one hole, so I need to go out there and play a solid round of golf [today] like I did today [yesterday],” he said.
Hendry also mastered the wind, going four-under with a 68, while Paddison, who set a course record 64 on Friday, signed for a 69.
They were followed by Australian Ben Eccles, who went two-under 70 to be equal with fellow Australian Brett Rankin and South Korea’s Inhoi Hur, who both shot even-par to be six-under going into today’s final round.
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