KO AND SHIN JOINT LEADERS, SIX AHEAD IN AUSSIE WOMEN'S OPEN

Canberra: Rolex World No 8 South Korean Jiyai Shin and South Korean-born World No 1 female amateur Kiwi Lydia Ko share the lead at 17-under par at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, heading into tomorrow’s final round at Royal Canberra Golf Club, Yarralumla.

Both Ko and Shin, a runner-up in the Aussie event in 2008 and the current Ricoh Women’s British Open champion, fired rounds of 3-under par 70 to co-lead the championship by six strokes. 

“I’m really looking forward to tomorrow as I’ve enjoyed the last three rounds. I know I’m playing a really young golfer but I have more experience of her so I have a really good feeling with my swing and tempo and will keep focused,” Shin said.

“I know I have a lot of fans in Australia and I want show them good play and I really want to win for them.” 

Fifteen year-old New Zealand-based Ko said she was happy with her round and a victory on Sunday would rank alongside her CN Canadian Open win on the LPGA Tour last August.

“It would be up at the top. Every win is pretty meaningful and especially if it’s an LPGA event, even further so. I just got to stay calm and see what happens tomorrow,” Ko said. 

“I’ll just play to the plan I’ve really made. Just because I’m in the final group and we’re on the same score or something, I won’t change my plans. In the past I’ve changed my plan and it wasn’t better,” Ko added.

Spaniard  Beatriz Recari is in outright third place at 11-under par after a third round 2-under par 71. 

France’s Gwladys Nocera posted the round of the day with an 8-under par 65 in perfect morning conditions to move into a tie for fourth with Spain’s Carlota Ciganda, Taiwan’s Yani Tseng, overnight leader Colombian Mariajo Uribe and Thailand’s Moriya Jutanugarn at 9-under par.

“I hit the ball really good, and really close to the pin, I had 3 shots off on the front nine, so I was a little bit upset, I could see that I was hitting the ball really well, so I tried to make the putts. I made a good one on the par 5 which helped and then the 17^th, so it was good,” Nocera said. 

Queenslander Sarah-Jane Smith is the best of the Australians in a tie for 9^th place at 8-under par after her even par 73.

THIRD ROUND TOTALS

Par 219 (3x73)

 

202 Jiyai Shin (SKOR)  65 67 70, Lydia Ko (NZL)  63 69 70

208 Beatriz Recari (ESP)  68 69 71

210 Moriya Jutanugarn (THA)  70 70 70, Mariajo Uribe (COL)  64 67 79, Carlota Ciganda (ESP)  71 70 69, Yani Tseng (TPE)  68 71 71, Gwladys Nocera (FRA)  74 71 65

211 Vicky Hurst (USA)  69 72 70, Sarah-Jane Smith (AUS)  68 70 73, Stacy Prammanasudh (USA)  70 71 70, Il Hee Lee (SKOR)  73 69 69, Dewi Claire Schreefel (NLD)  70 72 69, Anna Nordqvist (SWE)  72 70 69

212 Katherine Hull-kirk (AUS)  68 73 71, Whitney Hillier (AUS)  74 69 69, Giulia Sergas (ITA)  67 72 73, Gerina Piller (USA)  72 67 73, Stacy Lewis (USA)  69 74 69, Ashlee Dewhurst (AUS)  73 70 69, Jennifer Rosales (PHL)  74 69 69, Rebecca Artis (AUS)  72 67 73, Danielle Kang (USA)  71 71 70

213 Belen Mozo (ESP)  71 71 71, Lexi Thompson (USA)  72 71 70, Jenny Shin (SKOR)  71 69 73, Kristie Smith (AUS)  68 68 77, Brittany Lincicome (USA)  71 70 72, Austin Ernst (USA)  69 74 70, Paolo Moreno (COL)  74 71 68, Holly Aitchison (ENG)  70 68 75, Ayako Uehara (JPN)  66 73 74, Min Jee Lee (AUS)  70 71 72, Chella Choi (SKOR)  74 69 70

214 Jennifer Song (USA)  71 74 69, Thidapa Suwannapura (THA)  71 72 71, Karine Icher (FRA)  72 71 71, Angela Stanford (USA)  68 75 71, Florentyna Parker (ENG)  71 71 72, Karrie Webb (AUS)  71 74 69, Brooke Pancake (USA)  73 68 73, Catriona Matthew (SCO)  69 75 70, Christel Boeljon (NLD)  72 68 74

215 Lee-Anne Pace (ZAF)  74 71 70, Kathlyn Ekey (USA)  71 70 74, Julieta Granada (PAR)  71 70 74, Eun Hee Ji (KOR)  70 72 73, Pornanong Phatlum (THA)  71 73 71, Marianne Skarpnord (NOR)  72 70 73, So Yeon Ryu (SKOR)  72 72 71

216 Beth Allen (USA)  70 74 72, Becky Morgan (WAL)  72 72 72, Amy Hung (TPE)  72 72 72, Lizette Salas (USA)  69 73 74, Stacey Keating (AUS)  74 71 71, Mi Hyang Lee (SKOR)  66 77 73, Sarah Kemp (AUS)  72 72 72, Hannah Burke (ENG)  72 72 72, Rebecca Lee-bentham (CAN)  66 74 76, Cindy Lacrosse (USA)  71 71 74, Su-Hyun Oh (AUS)  75 70 71, Mi Jung Hur (SKOR)  71 73 72, Bree Arthur (AUS)  73 71 72, Maria Hjorth (SWE)  73 71 72, Jessica Korda (USA)  70 69 77

217 - Jessica Speechley (AUS)  72 73 72, Caroline Hedwall (SWE)  72 71 74, Nicole Smith (USA)  72 72 73, Nikki Campbell (AUS)  71 70 76, Jane Park (USA)  70 74 73, Courtney Massey (AUS)  70 74 73, Christina Kim (USA)  72 72 73, Laura Davies (ENG)  71 74 72

218 Veronica Felibert (VEN)  71 71 76, Alison Walshe (USA)  71 73 74, Becky Brewerton (WAL)  69 75 74

219 Line Vedel (DNK)  73 72 74, Jing Yan (CHN)  72 70 77, Cheyenne Woods (USA)  71 73 75

220 Stephanie Sherlock (CAN)  74 71 75

221 Kris Tamulis (USA)  73 72 76

226 Charlotte Ellis (ENG)  75 70 81

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