South Korea’s Jang Ha-na maintained her lead by one shot after the third round of the weather-delayed Marathon Classic in Sylvania, Ohio, on Saturday, though some of the golf’s biggest names were in hot pursuit.
LPGA Tour rookie Jang, still bothered by a back injury that has her finishing her swing with one arm, fired a two-under 69 to remain on track for a wire-to-wire victory at Highland Meadows Golf Club.
Seeking her first win on the LPGA Tour, the 23-year-old mixed three birdies with a lone bogey to post an 11-under total of 202.
Photo: AFP
Fellow South Korean Q Baek, who clinched her maiden LPGA Tour title at last year’s HanaBank Championship, was alone in second after a birdie at the par-five last earned her a 68.
South Korean world No. 1 Inbee Park also birdied the 18th for a 67 to share third place at nine-under with compatriot Chella Choi (65), world No. 2 Lydia Ko of New Zealand (67), China’s Feng Shanshan (68) and Austin Ernst of the US (66).
Former world No. 1 Yani Tseng of Taiwan was tied for 16th place on six-under after a 71, while Kaohsiung-born Candie Kung (68) was a shot further back.
Hsu Wei-ling was on three-under after a 71, while fellow Taiwanese Min Lee was on even-par after carding a 70.
Jang, ranked 22nd in the world and a six-time winner on the Korean Tour, was well aware of the quality of the chasing pack, but planned to focus on her own game in yesterday’s final round.
“I think tomorrow [Sunday] my target is 15-under, so four more birdies is great, yeah,” Jang said.
“I don’t think about [any other] player, just myself... confidence and concentration and play. So tomorrow just one target — 15-under,” she said.
Jang’s closest pursuer, Baek, was hoping to draw on the experience of her breakthrough LPGA Tour victory where she beat Brittany Lincicome of the US and fellow South Korean Chun In-gee in a playoff.
Lincicome went on to claim the first major of this season, the ANA Inspiration in April, while Chun clinched the third, last week’s US Women’s Open in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
“I learned a lot from the playoff I played against Lincicome and Chun last year,” said Baek, who carded three birdies in a bogey-free 68.
“I haven’t made it to the next level yet, so hopefully that [playoff win] will give me good confidence going into tomorrow [Sunday]. Hopefully, I step up to the next level,” she said.
Ko, who won last year’s Marathon Classic, was disappointed after failing to birdie either of the closing par-fives, but was happy with her position heading into yesterday’s final round.
“I think I was a couple shots behind last year, too, so I don’t mind the position I’m in right now,” Ko said. “It’s great to return to a course where you’ve played well.”
Additional reporting by staff writer
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