Lydia Ko and Sung Hyun Park share lead after third round of Hana Bank Championship
Saturday 17 October 2015 19:25, UK
Lydia Ko and Sung Hyun Park share the lead after the third round of the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship.
Ko overcame a double-bogey with two late birdies in a three-under par 69, and Park bounced back from a second-round 74 to shoot an impressive 67 at the Sky 72 Ocean Course in Incheon, South Korea.
The 18-year-old dropped two shots on the par four 14th after driving left into the water and missing a four-foot putt. She rallied, though, driving the short par-four 15th to set up a two-putt birdie and making a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-three 17th.
Ko said: "There's still a long day ahead of me. But if I am holding the trophy at the end, it will be very special. To win at your birthplace, it's hard to do. To be able to win in front of the Korean fans and my family and relatives who have flown over from Jeju Island, I think it would be a very special moment."
Park birdied three of the last four holes, also driving the 15th, holing a 20-footer on 17 and chipping to two feet on the par-five 18th. Making her first career LPGA Tour start, the 22-year-old South Korean player opened with a course-record 62.
American Lexi Thompson (69) and South Korea's Mirim Lee (67) were a stroke back from the two leaders while England's Charley Hull is eight adrift after a 71, her four birdies countered by three bogeys.
Thompson said: "I just know I need to make birdies, focus on myself and control my game. That's all I can do. Lydia is playing great and she's going to make birdies, we all know that. But it's not just her."
Should Ko prevail on Sunday, she would re-take the number one spot from Inbee Park, who is alongside Hull after a third round 70.
