Just as hard as the wind was seeing the name of Lydia Ko the No. 1 player in women’s golf right behind her. The most notable challenger was world No. 1 Ko, who shot the day’s best score with a 6-under 65.
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Shanshan Feng lies one stroke outside of the medal places on eight under, while four bogeys over the final seven holes leaves Charley Hull a further two shots back with Korean pair In Gee Chun and Hee Young Yang.
She is 2 shots back of Park and tied for second with Ko.
She almost holed a short wedge shot for eagle on the par-5 10th, her ball curling around the edge of the hole.
“I wonder what it feels like to be holding a medal or bite into a medal”.
Ko came out on fire on the front nine, posting a 6-under 29 including a hole-in-one on the par-3 8th hole. She spent the last two months rehabbing her injured thumb and focusing on the Olympics.
As for the two Americans still relatively within striking distance, Gerina Piller submitted a fantastic Round 3 after shooting 68 on the day to tie with Ko in second place on the overall leaderboard.
Inbee Park was in the 16th fairway, only 50 yards from the hole, and couldn’t imagine a worse spot to be.
She birdied the next two holes, then converted a 25-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the 17th and finished with her best birdie of the round.
“I was just a little mad and starting to be a little more aggressive”, Lewis told Golf Channel about how she overcame that double. The 17-time LPGA Tour victor had been hampered by a wrist problem and has not won this year, but she can put that all behind with a gold medal this weekend.
Inbee Park (-11) – With six birdies and five bogeys in her third round, Park will need to be more consistent Saturday if she is going to hold off Ko.
Park made her first bogey of the tournament on No. 7, but that was the only green she missed.
“I’d say that’s one of my best rounds I’ve played“, Piller said.
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Piller went out in 31 to move into a share of the lead with Park during the final stretch at 10-under par, but made bogey at the last to finish the day at nine-under par. “I’ll just kind of be going out there and putting everything at stake aside and focusing on putting a good swing and being all in on every shot”. She is a four-time victor on the LPGA Tour this year, the best player in women’s golf and finally got some confidence in her putter. And now she faced a shot that would punish anything just a little long or a little left. “I’m confident with everything, but I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself”. Finally, first-round leader Ariya Jutanugarn withdrew after 13 holes, citing a knee injury.
