New York (AFP) – Chinese rookie Miranda Wang fired a bogey-free seven-under par 65 to seize a three-shot lead on Saturday in the weather-disrupted LPGA FM Championship at TPC Boston. Wang, a 26-year-old who helped Duke University win the prestigious NCAA US collegiate team crown in 2019, put herself in striking position for a first LPGA title in Sunday’s final round. She piled up seven birdies on the way to a 18-under par total of 198 — three clear of 36-hole leader Kim Sei-young of South Korea and American Rose Zhang. It was another stroke back to world number one Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand and American Andrea Lee.
Wang had managed to polish off her second-round 67 on Friday night, shortly before play was suspended by darkness on a day that featured three stoppages. Three shots behind Kim to start the third round, Wang marched up the leaderboard with a solid display on the greens. She followed a birdie at the second with three straight birdies at six, seven, and eight and rapped in another birdie putt at the par-five 12th to push her lead to three strokes. She added birdies at 14 and 18, finishing with just 24 putts to maintain her advantage.
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“I did a good job today,” Wang said. “I really want to give myself some credit. This is where all the players want to be, so it’s definitely special going into the final round being the sole leader.”
– Kim falters –
Kim and Zhang both had marathon days after completing just four holes on Friday. Kim returned to complete a seven-under 65 and grab the lead, but she couldn’t maintain the pace and posted a one-under 71 in the third round. She faltered early with bogeys at the second and third holes and was two-over through nine before rolling in three birdies and signing for a one-under 71 that kept her in the hunt for a 13th LPGA title and her first in nearly five years. Her last title came at the Pelican Championship in November 2020, a month after she won her lone major title at the Women’s PGA Championship.
Zhang completed a second-round 64 and then shook off an early bogey in the third round with six birdies in a five-under 67. “It’s been a while since I played 32 holes,” said Zhang, another US collegiate standout who has been hindered by injury this season. “I needed to grind it out a little bit. I needed to stay focused.” Kim said the same. Irked by her early bogeys, she was delighted to come up with a closing birdie as darkness closed in on the final group.
“When I was standing on the last hole it was already dark,” she said. “I have a chance to reach with the second shot, but the temperature dropped a little so it’s 10 yards short. I just laid up and then made birdie — good result.”
Jeeno had eight birdies in her seven-under 65 while Lee had six birdies in a six-under 66 to join her on 14-under 202. Another three players shared sixth on 203. That included Park Kum-kang, a 24-year-old South Korean ranked 340th in the world who picked up six strokes in her first seven holes on the way to an impressive eight-under 64. She was joined by Japan’s Ayaka Furue (66) and Norway’s Celine Borge (67).
© 2024 AFP
