Xiyu Lin shot a third-round 66 to secure the solo 54-hole lead on 14 under at the HSBC Women’s World Championship.
The 24-year old from China got off to a slow start on Saturday in Singapore, making bogey on the very first hole at Sentosa Golf Club. But Lin bounced back with a birdie on No. 2 and added six more gains along the way, including four in her final six, to claim the marquee position.
“The first hole I was really nervous. I thought like ‘I’m going to hit longer because I’m nervous,’ but obviously I wasn’t that nervous, so I left it short and left the putt short,” said the 25-year old from China.
“So I just tell myself, like yesterday I had two bogeys and I bounced back with a birdie right away. I said, ‘definitely I can do that,’
“Second hole was a tough pin but I managed to hit it at the right spot and make the putt. That was pretty huge.”
Overnight co-leader Inbee Park got off to a hot start with four birdies in a bogey-free first nine to turn in 32. But the Korean legend struggled going home, making bogeys on Nos. 11, 14 and a double on the par-5 16. A final-hole birdie, though, gave her a third-round 70 and bumped her back into a tie for second alongside Hannah Green at 13 under.
“The putting overall today was not that bad. Just one missed shot, the third shot on No. 16. Yeah, I think it’s coming along,” said Park, who won here in 2015 and 2017.
“It was a great birdie on No. 18. That really got me probably have a chance to win tomorrow, so I think that was really huge.
“Tomorrow obviously we have a lot of girls in the top it’s going to be a shootout, whoever plays good tomorrow is going to win.”
Green shot a second-consecutive 6-under 66, highlighted by a hole-out eagle on No. 10.
“I guess it’s been quite a long time since I’ve holed out from the fairway from quite some distance. I hit my tee shot into the right rough. Had an 8-iron in and it hit the pin. Bounced, hit the pin and went in,” said the 24-year old Aussie.
“That was a nice bonus.”
Gaby Lopez matched her season best with a round of 65 to sit alone in fourth on 12 under, two clear of three major champions: In Gee Chun (66), Lydia Ko (69) and So Yeon Ryu (70), who were tied for fifth on 10-under par.
Madelene Sagstrom (68), Amy Yang (70) and Hyo Joo Kim (72) were five shots off the pace and tied for eighth on 9 under.
Hee Young Park, who co-led after 36 holes, played her front nine in 1-under 35 to turn 12 under on the tournament and near the top the leaderboard. But the Korean plummeted to T21 on 4-under par after a disastrous back nine, which included bogeys on Nos. 10, 12, 15, 17, and 18, and a quadruple (+4) bogey on No. 16 to finish 7-over 79.
Defending champion Sung Hyun Park was T52 on 3-over 219.
2021 HSBC Women’s World Championship
Top-5 Leaders: Round 3
Pos-Player-To Par-(Rd 3)
1. Xiyu Lin -14 (-5)
2. Hannah Green -13 (-6)
2. Inbee Park -13 (-2)
4. Gaby Lopez -12 (-10)
5. In gee Chun -10 (-6)
5. Lydia Ko -10 (-3)
5. So Yeon Ryu -10 (-2)
Material from the LPGA Tour Communications was used to compile this report.
