NEW YORK:
Chinese language rookie Miranda Wang fired a bogey-free seven-under par 65 to grab a three-shot lead on Saturday within the weather-disrupted LPGA FM Championship at TPC Boston.
Wang, a 26-year-old who helped Duke College win the distinguished NCAA US collegiate crew crown in 2019, put herself in placing place for a primary LPGA title in Sunday’s closing spherical.
She piled up seven birdies on the way in which to a 18-under par complete of 198 — three away from 36-hole chief Kim Sei-young of South Korea and American Rose Zhang.
It was one other stroke again to world primary Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand and American Andrea Lee.
Wang had managed to shine off her second-round 67 on Friday evening, shortly earlier than play was suspended by darkness on a day that featured three stoppages.
Three photographs behind Kim to begin the third spherical, Wang marched up the leaderboard with a strong show on the greens.
She adopted a birdie on the second with three straight birdies at six, seven and eight and rapped in one other birdie putt on the par-five twelfth to push her result in three strokes.
She added birdies at 14 and 18, ending with simply 24 putts to keep up her benefit.
“I did job immediately,” Wang mentioned. “I actually need to give myself some credit score. That is the place all of the gamers need to be, so it is positively particular going into the ultimate spherical being the only chief.”
Kim and Zhang each had marathon days after finishing simply 4 holes on Friday.
Kim returned to finish a seven-under 65 and seize the lead, however she could not preserve the tempo and posted a one-under 71 within the third spherical.
She faltered early with bogeys on the second and third holes and was two-over by means of 9 earlier than rolling in three birdies and signing for a one-under 71 that stored her within the hunt for a thirteenth LPGA title and her first in almost 5 years.
Her final title got here on the Pelican Championship in November 2020, a month after she received her lone main title on the Ladies’s PGA Championship.
Zhang accomplished a second-round 64 after which shook off an early bogey within the third spherical with six birdies in a five-under 67.
“It has been some time since I performed 32 holes,” mentioned Zhang, one other US collegiate standout who has been hindered by damage this season. “I wanted to grind it out slightly bit. I wanted to remain targeted.”
Kim mentioned the identical. Irked by her early bogeys, she was delighted to provide you with a closing birdie as darkness closed in on the ultimate group.
“Once I standing on the final gap it was already darkish,” she mentioned. “I’ve an opportunity to succeed in with the second shot, however the temperature dropped slightly so it is 10 yards brief. I simply laid up after which make birdie — good outcome.”
Jeeno had eight birdies in her seven-under 65 wile Lee had six birdies in a six-under 66 to affix her on 14-under 202.
One other three gamers shared sixth on 203. That included Park Kum-kang, a 24-year-old South Korean ranked 340th on the planet who picked up six strokes in her first seven holes on the way in which to a formidable eight-under 64.
She was joined by Japan’s Ayaka Furue (66) and Norway’s Celine Borge (67).
