Home favorite Hsu Wei-ling bounced back yesterday from a bogey on the first hole to share the lead with American Nelly Korda going into the final round of the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship.
Korda fired five birdies to card 69 at the par-72 Ta Shee Golf and Country Club in Taoyuan and chase down Hsu, who has basked in encouragement from a crowd eager to see a local golfer win for the first time in five years.
Briton Jodi Ewart Shadoff’s hopes for a first tour victory after a seven-under-par 65 opening round looked increasingly distant as she bogeyed the 11th to card a 73.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Ewart Shadoff sits on 209, alongside compatriot Bronte Law, American Megan Kang and South Korean Jin Young-ko, who went bogey-free to equal her second-round score of 69.
Also at 209 was former world No. 1 Lydia Ko, who shot a single birdie and bogey apiece. Ko has been back in the swing with six consecutive top-16 finishes. She finished in a seven-way tie for runner-up at the inaugural Buick LPGA event in Shanghai.
HSBC CHAMPIONS
Reuters, SHANGHAI
Tony Finau is to take a three-shot lead into the final round of the WGC-HSBC Champions after a birdie-birdie-birdie finish yesterday, combined with a late collapse from Justin Rose, kept the American in front at Shanghai’s Sheshan International Golf Club.
Finau had started the day with a three-stroke lead after a stunning second round, but needed his spectacular finish to clamber back to the top of the leaderboard with a two-under-par 70 after three bogeys had him playing at two-over by the 12th.
He reclaimed one shot at the 13th, commenced his purple patch at the 16th before flirting with a hole-in-one at the par-three 17 and slotting a 10-foot birdie putt at the last to move to 13-under 203 for the tournament.
That put him clear of Xander Schauffele (69), first-round leader Patrick Reed (70) and defending champion Rose, who finished with double bogey-bogey to sign for a 70 after reaching the 17th tee at five-under.
“To still have the lead going into tomorrow, I’m pretty fortunate,” Finau said.
“There are 18 more holes to play and it’s a world class field,” he said. “I’ve got to keep my head down for 18 more holes and do my thing. I didn’t give up today, that’s always my mentality — just keep fighting until the end.”
Rose, last year’s Fedex Cup champion, overhauled an eight-shot deficit to win the tournament last year and so will still have hope of retaining the title and dethroning Brooks Koepka as world No. 1.
“I’ve got to go out tomorrow, shoot maybe something in the mid-60s and see if I can chase Tony down,” Rose said.
“I’m playing well, feeling good,” he added. “Just got to put that last couple holes behind me and come out a little bit angry tomorrow.”
Briton Rose would return to the summit that he occupied briefly earlier this year if he defends the title and Koepka, who was in share of 28th after a third-round 71, finishes in a tie for second, or worse.
Tommy Fleetwood was another Briton who probably would prefer to forget his back nine yesterday after a triple bogey at the 14th dropped him back into the pack.
A Ryder Cup hero for Europe in Paris, Fleetwood finished with a birdie for a 72 and a share of fifth with American Andrew Putnam, who shot a 67 to move to eight-under for the tournament.
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