On the third day of the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews, former world number one from South Korea, Jiyai Shin, rose to the top of the leaderboard by scoring a five-under-par 67. This puts her at seven under for the entire tournament. This follows two preliminary rounds of 71, and puts Shin in the lead by one shot going into the last day.
Defending champion from the US, Lilia Vu, is just behind in second place. She birdied the last hole, putting her at a one-under 71, which includes four other birdies, a double bogey and two bogeys.
Previous leader and current world number one, Nelly Korda, slipped to the third slot after a three-over 75. Likewise, Charley Hull from England, who held the lead after the first round, scored a 75 and now ties for 10th place on two under.
Meanwhile, Ireland’s Leona Maguire had seemed set to advance after three consecutive birdies from the sixth hole. However, three bogeys in the next four holes obstructed her hopes of entering the top 10. A one-under 71 has resulted in Maguire sharing the 19th place on level par.
Having won the tournament twice before in 2008 and 2012, Shin suggested her vast golfing experience and familiarity with links courses helped her navigate the challenging conditions at St Andrews. She admitted the wind was challenging but also helpful, and was unperturbed by two bogeys, saying one or two are an expectable part of the game and it allowed her to maintain focus.
Korda, on the other hand, had a mixed round that included one double bogey, five bogeys and four birdies. This leaves her trailing two shots behind leader Shin going into the final day.
“Finishing on a birdie note was enjoyable, even though the day wasn’t great,” commented Korda. “Seeing one make it in was gratifying, although it just made it. However, after two initial bogeys, bouncing back with a birdie was pleasing.”
Korda, looking into the coming Sunday, said, “I anticipate a challenging day. The winds are likely to be strong, and there might be rainfall too.”
“I’ll maintain an upbeat outlook. I’ll take one swing at a time. I performed quite well on the initial two days so I plan on carrying that momentum into Sunday.”
In a three-way tie for the fourth place are Lydia Ko from New Zealand and South Korea’s Jenny Shin, trailing the lead by three shots. Furthermore, Ruoning Yin from China, Jinhee Im from South Korea, Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul and Alexa Pano from America are tied for the sixth place, all three under par.