Chinese rookie Miranda Wang fired a bogeyless 7-under par 65 to seize a three-shot lead in the weather-destructing LPGA FM Championship at TPC Boston on Saturday.
Wang, 26, who won the prestigious NCAA US Collegiate Team Crown by Duke University in 2019, placed himself in a strike position to win his first LPGA title in Sunday’s final round.
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She stacked seven birdies on the way to turn 198, totaling 18-under par, from three clears by South Korea’s 36-hole leader Kim Sae-yong.
It was another stroke that returned to Thailand’s world number one Jeeno Thitikul and Andrea Lee in America.
The Wang was able to hone her second round 67 on Friday night, just before play was stopped on the day that featured three stops.
A third shot behind Kim began the third round, with the King marching through the leaderboard with a solid display on the Greens.
She tracked the birdie in the second, 3 straight birdies at 6, 7 and 8, then laps another birdie putt on a par 5, pushing the lead up to three strokes.
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She added birdies to 14 and 18 and finished with just 24 putts to maintain her advantage.
“I did a good job today,” Wang said. “I really want to give myself some credibility. This is where every player wants to be, so getting into the final round is definitely special to be the only leader.”
– Kim weakens –
Kim and Chang ran the marathon a few days after completing just four holes on Friday.
Kim went back to complete a 7-under 65 and grabbed the lead, but she couldn’t keep up with the pace and posted a 1-under 71 in the third round.
She was upset with bogeys on the second and third holes, hunting for the 13th LPGA title twice to nine times before rolling with three birdies, signing her first 71 in nearly five years.
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Her final title took place at the Pelican Championship in November 2020, a month after winning the only major title in the Women’s PGA Championship.
Chang completed the second round of 64 and shot an early bogey with six birdies in the third round with a 5-under 67.
“It’s been a while since I played 32 holes,” said Zhang, another US university standout, who was hampered by injuries this season. “We had to grind a little. We had to keep our focus.”
Kim said the same thing. Troubled by her early bogeys, she was pleased to have come up with a closing birdie as the darkness ceased to the final group.
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“It was already dark when I was standing in the last hole,” she said. “I have a chance to reach for my second shot, but the temperature has dropped a little, so it’s 10 yards shorter.
Jeeno scored eight birdies on the 7-under 65 Wile Lee. He won six birdies at 66 under 66 and joined her at 14 under 202.
Three other players shared sixth place in 203. This includes 24-year-old Korean Park Geum-Kun, ranked 340th in the world and earned six strokes on his first seven holes on his way to the impressive 8-under 64.
She was joined by Japanese Ayaka Flu (66) and Norwegian Celine Borge (67).
BB/SST
