Taipei, Taiwan (SportsNetwork.com) – Inbee Park shot 3-under 69 on Saturday
and that helped her extend her lead to four strokes after three rounds of the
Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship.
Park finished 54 holes at 21-under-par 195. After setting a new 36-hole hole
scoring record, Park also smashed the tournament’s 54-hole record. She had set
the old mark of 198 in 2012.
“Overall, it was quite a good day. It was quite a different situation with the
wind. It was playing a lot tougher,” Park stated. “The downwind holes, it was
tough to stop the ball on the green. We have quite a few tough holes out
there, but I think I managed myself quite good.”
Last Monday, Park displaced Stacy Lewis as the No. 1 player in the world
rankings. Lewis started the day nine shots off the lead, but fired an 8-under
64 at Miramar Golf Country Club to trim her deficit to four strokes.
Lewis shares second place with Shanshan Feng (70) at minus-17.
Azahara Munoz carded a 3-under 69 and is alone in fourth place at 13-under-par
203. So Yeon Ryu (68) is one stroke back at minus-12.
World No. 3 Lydia Ko (71) was joined in sixth place at 11-under-par 205 by
Mariajo Uribe (67) and Brittany Lang (68).
Park and Feng were in the final group together, while Lewis was two groups
ahead of the leaders in round three. Park and Feng parred their first three
holes before matching birdies at the fourth.
After a par on No. 5, Park birdied the par-5 sixth to move to 20-under, where
she was four clear of Feng and seven ahead of Lewis and Ko.
Park stumbled to back-to-back bogeys at seven and eight to trim her lead to
two. She bounced right back with a birdie on the ninth. Park made eagle at the
par-5 12th to move four clear of Feng and eight ahead of Lewis.
“I think I played quite consistently with my ball-striking today. But I missed
a couple of short putts today on Nos. 7 and 8,” Park said. “I missed those
two. I also made some long putts, I holed some 20-, 25-foot putts.”
Feng, who had parred seven in a row from the fifth, birdied the 12th to move
to minus-17.
Park tripped to another bogey at 14, but she erased that mistake with a birdie
at the 17th. She closed with a par at the last to lead by four.
Feng traded a bogey for a birdie from the 17th to end four behind.
Lewis did her scoring in bunches on Saturday. She opened with birdies at the
first and second. After four straight pars, Lewis birdied the seventh and made
it two in a row with a birdie on No. 8.
After five more pars, Lewis caught fire down the stretch. She birdied four of
the last five holes to soar into a share of second place.
“I kind of got things together there. Played really good. The wind started
blowing on No. 7, and my caddie made a comment about it and I said good, that
was my response,” said Lewis. “So I knew I needed some help with the weather
to get a little bit closer and played some great golf there coming in.”
NOTES: Park owns the 54-hole lead for the 10th time in her LPGA Tour career
… She has won four of the previous nine, but lost the last two times she was
in this position … If Park or Lewis wins on Sunday, that player will be No.
1 in the world on Monday … Two-time defending champion Suzann Pettersen
stumbled to a 2-over 74 and dipped into a tie for 33rd at 5-under 211.
