LPGA Lotte Championship: Yani Tseng improves position on the leaderboard
The current world number one Yani Tseng improved her leaderboard position in the third round of the LPGA Lotte Championship, as she posted a 69 to seize the fourth position.
Yani Tseng was standing at the 12th position on the leaderboard at the end of the second round, but stepped up pressure on her nearest rivals.
The field at the Lotte Championship being played at Ko Olina Golf Club is quite fearsome, as it contains LPGA giants like Suzann Pettersen, Paula Creamer, Ai Miyazato and Cristie Kerr.
Although considered the hot favourite for the $1.7 million event, Tseng looked to be in little trouble in the first two rounds. She played well, but other contenders hampered her advances.
Ai Miyazato, who shared the lead with Azahara Munoz of Spain in the second round, kept her momentum going in the third round as well. She posted a 70 to grab the top spot on the leaderboard.
The weather conditions at Hawaii on Friday were a bit too unfavourable, as strong winds troubled most of the players. However, the Taiwanese star played her usual game and improved her position.
She kicked off the third round in an impressive style, as she shot two straight birdies on the first two holes. She then parred the next two holes. On the par-5 5th hole, she faltered a little and misjudged her putts to settle for her first bogey.
She reeled off her third birdie on the 6th, offsetting the impact cause by the bogey. On the front nine, she recorded a total of four birdies and one bogey.
On the back nine, she could not repeat her stunning form, as all she could do was post one birdie and one bogey.
Speaking of her performance, Tseng said that she was happy to find herself in a stronger position. She said that she has plenty of time left to further improve her position.
She expressed her excitement over the first-round performance, saying she kept her cool, and this was what helped her stay strong.
"Overall, I stayed patient and I made lots of good putts," Tseng said. "I still missed some, but I hung in there. It's only first day of the tournament, so I'm pretty happy today".
Tags: