Ernst, in pursuit of her second victory on the LPGA circuit, birdied her last two holes to break clear of a congested leaderboard as she fired a six-under-par 66 in the $2 million event at Tiburon Golf Club.
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A birdie-birdie finish boosted Ernst to the lead by one stroke over South Korean Lee Mi-Hyang with South Korean Kim Sei-Young and Americans Jennifer Song, Cristie Kerr, Jaye Marie Green, Brittany Lincicome and Gerina Piller sharing third on 68.
“I fanned it to the right”, she said.
Ko, back in action this week after taking a fortnight’s break, is in pole position to clinch the LPGA Player of the Year award, the money list title and retain her number one ranking, and was in good position for all three after opening with a 69.
On Thursday, she said hit the ball much better, although her drive on No. 18 wasn’t to her liking. She’s also averaging more than 260 yards off the tee, putting her at a considerable advantage over Park’s 230-yard average.
Ernst said: “There were still two or three putts I feel like I should have made, but to be able to shoot six and say that is a step in the right direction”.
Kim, a three-time victor this year, already has wrapped up rookie of the year honors and entered the week as one of the nine players with a shot at winning the “Race to CME Globe” and the accompanying $1 million bonus.
While Ko recovered a tad on the back nine and finished with a 3-under 69, Park is at 1-under 71 and Stacy Lewis at even-par 72.
Lydia Ko was a victor before play began at the LPGA finale, claiming a Kia auto for spending the most time at the top of leaderboards this season. They both have won five tournaments this year.
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Ko, the 18-year-old Kiwi wonder who has five wins this season, captured her first major title at the Evian Championship in France. For Ko to ensure she goes into the offseason with all those, she needs to finish two shots ahead of Park.
