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Lydia Ko six off off the pace at the LPGA Classic

HAINAN ISLAND, CHINA - OCTOBER 31: Lydia Ko of New Zealand walks to 10th hole after she tee off in round 3 on Day 6 of Blue Bay LPGA 2015 at Jian Lake Blue
Image: Ko is back within six of the leaders heading in to the final round

Candie Kung bogeyed the last to miss out on the outright lead heading in to the final round of the Blue Bay LPGA, where world No 1 Lydia Ko lies six shots back.

Kung had held the outright advantage in China when a birdie at the 14th took her to two under, but she bogeyed the 17th and missed her par-save at the last to close a one-over 73 and join Sei Young Kim on level par for the tournament.

Third round leaderboard

E Sei Young Kim (Kor)
E Candie Kung (Tai)
+1 Stacy Lewis (USA)
+2 Alena Sharp (Can)
+2 Haru Nomura (Jpn)
+2 Suzann Pettersen (Nor)
+2 Kim Kaufman (USA)
Others
+5 Brittany Lang (USA)
+6 Lydia Ko (Nzl)
+8 Michelle Wie (USA)

Overnight leader Kim dropped from the top early on but charged back in to a share of the lead thanks to back-to-back gains at the 13th and 14th. 

"Overall I'm happy with my performance today," said Kung. "Although I really am very much distraught with the windy conditions.

"There is no way you really have time to think about who is behind you, who is ahead of you, and in what way on course you can catch up or whatever. You just do your best."

The blustering conditions and heavily undulating greens at the lengthy Jian Lake Blue Bay Course have proved a stern test, with just four players shooting under par on Saturday.

Kim, chasing rookie of the year honours, has shown her best in the wind this year with two titles in Bahamas and Hawaii earlier in the season but said Blue Bay had been a step up after she mixed three birdies with five bogeys in Saturday's round.

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Kung is one of only two players not to be over par
Image: Kung is one of only two players not to be over par

"This is the toughest course I've ever played," the world No 11 said. "Overall, I'm happy with my performance, although I feel this is really, really tough."

The joint-leaders hold a one-shot advantage over world No 3 Stacy Lewis, with Suzann Pettersen part of a four-way tie a further stroke back.

Lewis picked up a rare birdie on the 14th, but was frustrated on the next when a birdie putt which would have given her a share of the lead stopped on the edge of the hole.

Taiwanese rookie Wei LingHsu fired the best round of the day, birdieing seven of her closing 10 holes on her way to a four-under 68, while Ko broke in to the top 20 after posting six gains in her two-under 70. 

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