MIDLAND, Mich. — Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho dealt with a robust wind and the powerful foursomes format for a 3-under 67 on Saturday, giving the American duo a one-shot lead going into the ultimate spherical of the Dow Championship.
The South Korean tandem of Haeji Kang and In Kyung Kim was tied for second with a workforce of former No. 1s in Atthaya Thitikul and Ruoning Yin. The ultimate spherical is fourballs, the simpler format to attain.
Ewing lastly acquired a birdie putt to fall from about 18 toes on the tenth gap, and so they picked up one other birdie on the par-5 eleventh. A tender bogey on the sixteenth gap dropped them again right into a tie, after which Ewing hit tee shot on the par-3 18th to arrange Kupcho’s birdie.
“I didn’t actually know the place we stood. I knew we have been close to the highest,” Kupcho mentioned. “Actually, I don’t assume it issues going into tomorrow. One shot lead isn’t that a lot when it’s the format of greatest ball. Like someone can exit and shoot 11 beneath. It’s simply going out and specializing in our personal sport tomorrow.”
They have been at 15-under 195 in the one official workforce occasion on the LPGA schedule. Kupcho received it two years in the past with Lizette Salas.
Kang and In Kim had the low rating of the day, a 65 that included an eagle on the par-4 fifth gap the place the tees have been moved ahead to make it reachable. Kang hit driver to close perfection, over the water establishing a brief eagle putt.
They have been at 6-under for the spherical till the South Koreans made their lone bogey on the 18th.
Thitikul of Thailand and Yin of China misplaced some momentum within the simpler fourballs format on Friday, a 66 that was who pictures worse than their opening foursomes rating. After which they acquired off to a tough begin, making bogey on the par-5 third gap and taking a double bogey on the subsequent one.
However they picked up the tempo and once more thrived in foursomes. They responded to the double bogey with three straight birdies, and so they picked up 4 extra birdies on the again 9. Thitikul polished it off with a 20-foot birdie putt on the final gap.
“We had a tough begin, which is me being silly,” Yin mentioned. “I made a few errors, and Jeeno simply talked to me and say, ‘Hey, I do know we simply must hit the ball, and we’ll make birdies. I’ve you; you’ve me. That’s all you must know.’
“Yeah, we bounced again in the best way we have been powerful on the market.”
Grace Kim of Australia and Auston Kim, an LPGA rookie from Florida, have been a part of a five-way tie for the lead going into the third spherical. They managed a 69 as they scrambled to remain in place within the powerful wind. They have been solely two behind.
“We knew that foursomes weren’t going to be too low score-wise. We clearly tried our greatest, and the wind was up there. It acquired a bit gusty, and membership choice was essential,” Grace Kim mentioned. “We simply tried to maintain it in play and make as many pars as we might. Clearly, if now we have birdie alternatives, we’d take them. I believe 1 beneath is a reasonably first rate rating, particularly with the circumstances we had at present.”
Additionally two pictures again have been Amanda Doherty and Caroline Inglis, who posted a 66.
Lexi Thompson of Florida and Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. have been six pictures out of the lead, however they’d 14 groups in entrance of them. They fell again with a 71, and so they managed just one birdie.
