Jin Young Ko shot a 5-under 67 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead after three rounds at the inaugural FM Championship at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass.
The South Korea native bookended her day with birdies on the first two holes and the last two holes and added two more against a single bogey to take control at 11 under heading into the final round Sunday.
“I just wanted to have good golf this week in Boston,” Ko said. “I mean, a lot of Korean fans out there, so they are cheering me so much. I feel really loved. Yeah, one more round to go. I will focus myself tomorrow.”
Lauren Coughlin sits alone in second place after carding her third straight 69, putting her at 9 under for the tournament.
“Still trying to go play my game, stay in my bubble, do what I could do, hit good shots, and try to make some putts,” Coughlin said.
Three golfers are within three strokes of Ko at 8 under: Spain’s Carlota Ciganda (67), Allisen Corpuz (67) and Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul (69).
“I just felt really comfortable with the putter this week. Been seeing a lot more putts go in,” Corpuz said. “ ... Been able to get a few close and make the birdie putts.”
South Korean Haeran Ryu had shot a 10-under-par 62 on Friday to take a commanding six-stroke lead, but she had a Saturday to forget, suffering two double-bogeys among her first four holes and carding another five bogeys on her way to a 6-over 78.
Still, Ryu is tied for sixth with Germany’s Alexandra Forsterling (67) at 7 under despite the disastrous round and lurks within striking distance of her second career win.
At the other end of the spectrum, an impressive 8-under 64 vaulted China’s Ruixin Liu into contention. Her day included an eagle on the par-4 10th and eight birdies to go along with a pair of bogeys. That put her in a tie for eighth with Yealimi Noh (73).
“For me the biggest difference is I was able to hit more fairways compared to the first two days, so I gave myself more opportunities for birdies,” Liu said.
“I don’t have any expectation today because I barely made the cut ... I’m just very grateful I’m able to play today, so I think that’s the most important reason why I’m able to shoot this low.”
Marina Alex, who led after one round, posted a 4-over 76 to fall into a tie for 46th at even par.
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