Sunday showdown shaping up with jam-packed leaderboard in LA
By Amy Rogers
LOS ANGELES - With nearly a dozen players positioned within five strokes of the lead heading into the final round, a thrilling, Sunday showdown awaits the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro.
A pair of rookies in Akie Iwai and Ingrid Lindblad, along with two-time LPGA Tour winner Lauren Coughlin share the 54-hole lead at 17-under par.
Iwai separated herself early with an eight-under par round of 64. On the front nine, Iwai took advantage of the par 5s beginning right out of the gate by holing out from 60 yards for eagle at her first hole of the day and her second eagle of the week. She added another birdie at the par five, seventh hole to go out in 33. At the turn, the six-time winner on the Japan LPGA Tour added three consecutive birdies on holes Nos. 10-12 and closed out her day with back-to-back birdies at the 16th and 17th holes to take a two-stroke lead at 17-under par.
It was a comfortable pairing for the third round as Akie was grouped with her twin sister, Chisato. Akie is making just her fourth start of the LPGA Tour season but already has a runner-up finish this season at the Honda LPGA Thailand where she held the first-round lead.
“It was really fun. Really, really fun,” Iwai said about playing alongside her sister. “A good experience.”
Coughlin was the first to catch Iwai atop the leaderboard after beginning the day two-strokes back of the lead. She caught fire early in the round and made birdie on four of her first five holes, but then her putter cooled midway through the round and she was left scrambling for pars. Coughlin strung together 10 consecutive pars between her fourth and fifth birdies of the day, finally picking up another at the par five, 16th hole. She added another critical closing birdie to her scorecard at the 18th hole to join Iwai atop the leaderboard with a round of 66 and remain bogey-free through 54-holes.
“With the par-5s and stuff you easily can shoot four or five-under like that without doing too much. I think it's easily going to take that. Probably something more,” Coughlin said about what she expects it will take to contend on Sunday. “I'm just going to go and try to keep doing what I've been doing and try to stay in my bubble and not worry about what else is going on out there and see where it puts me at the end of the day.”
Lindblad slept on a share of the overnight lead and on Saturday recorded her lone blemish of the day at the par three, ninth hole. Lindblad hit her tee shot right of the green and the ball ricocheted off a rockwall and into the water bordering the putting surface. Lindblad fist pumped her way to a critical bogey, rolling in a 17-footer to avoid making a bigger number, and used that save as a springboard to a four-under par, 68 to remain atop the leaderboard.
“I had a couple of those yesterday about that distance that were you know about as quick,” Lindblad said about the bogey she made at the ninth. “I was very happy that putt hit the hole.”
Rookie Ina Yoon sits solo second at 15-under par after a third round, eight-under par, 64 that matched the low round of the day. Yoon began her day with back-to-back birdies that set the tone for the rest of her round. Yoon said her goal on Saturday was to go bogey-free, and although she did drop a single shot at the par four, 10th hole, she managed to add four more birdies on the back nine. Yoon said she relied heavily on caddie Michael Bestor throughout the round to give her the right numbers into holes as the weather improved dramatically from the first two days.
“Today, was really warm. I loved it,” Yoon said after her round in which she missed only two greens. “Last day was really cold, so today warm so I can hit more aggressive, I mean, hit right at the pin and it works.”
Minjee Lee, Rio Takeda, and Nelly Korda sit in a share of fifth at 14-under par, and three-strokes behind Iwai.
Saturday, Korda began moving day four-strokes off the pace. After a challenging up and down start to her round in which she made two birdies and two bogeys in her first four holes, Korda caught a spark on the back nine as she rolled in three consecutive birdies between holes Nos. 10-12 before giving back a shot at the par four, 13th hole.
The highlight of the round for Korda came at the par five, 16th hole when she made eagle to climb within one stroke of the lead. But then, Korda missed a birdie opportunity at the 17th and let a short par putt slide by the hole at the 18th which resulted in a disappointing bogey. Korda carded a round of five-under par, 67.
“Obviously a little upset with my last putt on the last hole. That's just really unfortunate,” Korda said after her round. “Other than that, I hit some really solid shots. Made some good putts too, but unfortunately did not make the last one. That stinks.”
Takeda began moving day seven-strokes off the lead but the two-time LPGA Tour winner quickly became the pace-setter on Saturday. The LPGA Tour rookie went out in the morning wave and, despite a slow start with a bogey at the par four, second hole, didn’t give up a single shot over the rest of her round. Instead, she rattled off nine birdies en route to carding an eight-under par, 64 to climb to sit at 14-under par.
Ashleigh Buhai, who held a share of the lead during the first two days, faded on the third day with a round of 77 as she struggled with a sprained MCL in her left knee.
