Washington (United States) (AFP) – Ryu Hae-ran got off to a hot start and came up with some clutch par putts down the stretch on Saturday to seize a one-shot lead over Brooke Henderson going into the final round of the Women’s PGA Championship. South Korea’s Ryu carded a four-under par 68 for an 11-under total of 205 at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, where world number one Nelly Korda was frustrated on the greens but was just four strokes off the lead in her bid for a third straight major title.
Ryu, chasing her first major title, birdied the first and fifth holes before pouring in a 28-foot eagle putt at the par-five seventh to jump to a two-shot lead. She added a seven-foot birdie at the seventh, where her putt circled the entire cup before falling in to push her lead to three strokes. “My front nine, it was amazing because I got an eagle and three birdies,” she said. “I started the back nine, it was more windy and a lot of tough putts. But I just made one bogey today, so it was good for me for tomorrow,” added Ryu, who said fatigue was also a factor as she comes off a month-long mid-season break.
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Her bogey at the 10th was a sign of the difficulties to come, but Ryu drained a seven-foot par putt at the 14th and par putts of five feet at 16 and 17 to stay on top. Henderson, who was just 18 when she won the 2016 Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club near Seattle, was delighted to post a three-under 69 in the blustery conditions. “It was affecting everything,” Henderson said, adding that it was a factor in her birdie at the 16th, where she reached the green of the driveable par-four but saw her 16-foot eagle putt come up short. “I thought the wind was going to push it, so I thought the putt was going to be faster, but I ended up coming up short,” she said. “I feel like it was just hard to judge all day.”
Henderson was one stroke in front of South Korean Yoon Ina, who started the day with a five-shot lead but seemed to feel the pressure as she posted a three-over 75. “I was just nervous a lot,” admitted the 23-year-old, who opened with back-to-back bogeys. “I missed short putts. After 10, I think I found my pace,” Yoon said. “Even on the front nine, I didn’t do anything different, but I think I was a little unlucky so there was a little frustration there.” Alone in third on nine-under, Yoon remained firmly in the mix. Dewi Weber of the Netherlands and South Korean Kim A-lim shared fourth on eight-under ahead of Korda and Alison Lee on seven-under.
Korda looked poised to make a run when she shook off a bogey at the par-five third to birdie the sixth, 11th, and 13th holes. But the US star missed a golden opportunity when she three-putted from the fringe at the 16th to settle for par, missing a four-foot birdie attempt. “It was a left-to-right putt, just left edge, and the wind was kind of gusting off my right …just didn’t make a very confident stroke,” Korda said of the short miss, which was followed by a three-putt bogey at 17. “Just left a few putts out there,” Korda said.
She said weather will dictate how aggressive she can be in her bid to become just the third LPGA player to win the first three majors in a season after victories in the Chevron Championship and US Women’s Open. “Putting in general, when it gets this windy, you have to calculate in the wind, too, and a gust here and there,” she said. “Sometimes you aren’t as confident with your lines.”
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