LPGA Tour: Hannah Green rally to hold one-game lead at Palos Verdes Championship | Golf News
The Australian finished 72 rounds in the second but still led Lydia Ko in second place; Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh shot 68 to move ahead for third – watch live from 11pm on Sunday on Sky Sports Golf
Last updated: 05/01/22 8:44 am
Hannah Green rallied to hold a one-shot lead to advance to the final round of the Palos Verdes Championship, Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh rising to third in the standings.
The Australian entered the day with a three-stroke advantage, leading Lydia Ko and three other players, before starting the third half poorly.
She overcame bogeys on the first two holes to shoot one-on-72 and took a one-game lead over her partner Ko to advance to the final day.
“I got off to a bad start, I guess you could say,” Green said. “I’ve been a bit flawed myself too many times today, so I’m actually quite pleased with a score of more than one.
“I just released a few funny wedge shots and also didn’t read the lies and the direction of the wind.”
Between holes six and nine, she scored bogey-eagle-bogey-birdie and also dropped a shot at par-4 12.
The Australian won par-5 in 16th place and split the last two to finish eight under 205.
“It’s hard,” Green said. “You know there are some opportunities on this golf course, but you also know that there are some tough holes.
“You just have to be patient like any other golf course, but it’s hard when Lydia [Ko] is breathing hard and has a lot of good scores from the beginning of the day. “
Dryburgh of Scotland delivered a 68-round shell to fortify its position on the day of the movement. Five birds on the front 9 are followed by 1 bird and 3 bogeys on the back 9.
“I think I hit most of the fairways today, so I’ll be very confident,” Dryburgh said.
“Honestly, everything is pretty solid. [I’m] hit it well, put and chip well, so it all comes together, that’s great. It’s a bit difficult right now, so just be confident. “
Dryburgh’s productivity means that she joins Lexi Thompson in jumping on the leaderboards. Thompson moved from a 37th draw to a third with Dryburgh and seven other golfers.
“The first two days were a little rough with batting, but came together today,” Thompson said. “Had a good session yesterday after my round and figured out a few things. I just feel confident going in today.”
Ko shot 70, also overcame a bad start. The New Zealander had a double in par-four and a bogey in fourth.
“I think I made it a little harder than it was,” Ko said. “But consider how I started, to finish below the level of the day, up and on.”
She rallied with five birdies, the last being 30 feet on day 16. She beat a par-three on day 17 and saved par with a seven-legged man on par-four on day 18.
“It’s really windy,” Ko said. “I think there is a huge difference between playing in the morning and in the afternoon. Fortunately, on the last holes the wind died, so it was a little easier.”
England’s Charly Hull slipped back significantly after round 77. She started with a double in the first set, the first of two during the round, along with two bogeys and a bird.
Jodi Ewart Shadoff sits alongside Hull tying in 69th with four more, with Charlotte Thomas one step ahead with three more.
Watch the Palos Verdes Championship live throughout the week on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues Sunday from 11pm on Sky Sports Golf.
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