IRVING, Texas — Japan’s Haru Nomura maintained her lead through three rounds of the LPGA Texas Shootout despite a late stumble on Saturday in Irving, Texas.
Nomura double-bogeyed the par-three 17th en route to a one-over 72 in windy conditions at Las Colinas Country Club.
She is at eight-under 205 and owns a two-shot lead entering Sunday’s final round.
American Cristie Kerr (70), one of six players to break par Saturday, is in a three-way tie for second with South Koreans Park In-bee (71) and amateur Seong Eun-jeong (69).
American Stacy Lewis surged into contention with a 66, the best round of the day. She is alone in fifth place and the only other player within three shots of the lead.
Nomura, who led by one shot after 36 holes, said she was not bothered by the blustery conditions despite the late wobble at the 17th.
“Windy (is) easy,” said Nomura, a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour last year. “I like windy and tough conditions, from fairway to green. I love it.”
Kerr, who won in Hawaii two weeks ago, was happy with her round that included three birdies and a pair of bogeys.
Seong will be trying to join an elite bunch as she plays in the final pairing with Nomura. Only four amateurs have won on the LPGA Tour, with world No. 1 Lydia Ko the last to do so in 2013.
Ko withdrew from the tournament Saturday morning due to an eye infection. She was one-over through her first two rounds.
Smith-Blixt in 4-shot lead
The team of Australian Cameron Smith and Swede Jonas Blixt survived strong and gusty winds to open up a four-stroke lead after the third round at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans Saturday.
Smith and Blixt combined for a stellar four-under-par 68 in the demanding foursomes (alternate shot) format.
Avoiding any bogeys, and the healthy population of alligators that live on the premises, they posted a 19-under 197 total at TPC Louisiana, with two teams — Charlie Hoffman/Nick Watney (69) and Kevin Kisner/Scott Brown (67) equal second on 15 under with one round left.
Jordan Spieth and Ryan Palmer had some putting problems, though they were not the only ones, to fall five strokes off the pace.
Though Smith and Blixt come from opposite sides of the globe, they are both now based in north Florida and were brought together by the Swede’s New Zealand caddie.
Blixt is a two-time PGA Tour winner, while Smith, 23, is a former Australian Amateur champion who last November lost a playoff to Spieth at the Australian Open.
Spieth, perhaps the best putter in the world, was tormented by the gusting winds which contributed to him and Palmer missing several short ones.
The final round will use the four-ball (best ball) format, which generally yields low scores because players can be aggressive. — Reuters
