NEW ZEALAND’S LYDIA Ko fired a level par 72 in blustery conditions to seize a two-stroke lead after Saturday’s third round of the LPGA at Boca Rio.
Despite cold and windy weather at the Boca Raton resort in Florida, third-ranked Ko grinded out 16 pars against a lone birdie and bogey to finish 54 holes on 11-under 205.
American Danielle Kang, ranked eighth, battled to a 74 to stand second on 207.
It was a mixed day for Ireland’s Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow. Maguire carded a 71 in her third round, picking up three birdies and back-to-back bogeys on the 10th and 11th holes to leave her two-under overall.
Meadow is on five-over after a 77 which included three bogeys and a double-bogey on the 12th hole.
On a gusty day when the scoring average soared above 75, France’s Celine Boutier fired a bogey-free three-under par 69, the day’s low round, to seize third on 208.
England’s Charley Hull and Japan’s Yuka Saso shared fourth on 209 with Japan’s Nasa Hataoka sixth on 211.
Ko, the 24-year-old South Korean-born Kiwi, took last year’s Tokyo Olympic bronze medal after a silver in 2016 at Rio.
Ko seeks her 17th career LPGA title and first since last April’s Lotte Championship in Hawaii.
Kang won last week’s LPGA Tournament of Champions in Orlando for her sixth tour title.
Kang began the day deadlocked with Ko for the lead, then sandwiched birdies at the fourth and sixth holes around a bogey at the fifth to reach 12-under.
When Ko followed with a bogey at the seventh, Kang’s lead stretched to two strokes.
But Ko rolled in a six-foot birdie putt at the par-5 10th and Kang missed a par putt from half that distance to leave them tied at the top once again.
Ko sank a 10-foot par putt at the par-4 14th while Kang missed short par putts at 14 and 15 to leave the New Zealander ahead by two.
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