- 11:44 am: Michelle Wie (-10), Azahara Munoz (-9)
- 11:52 am: Lydia Ko (-10), P.K. Kongkraphan (-10)
- 12:08 pm: Pornanong Phatlum (-10), Thidapa Suwannapura (-10)
- 12:16 pm: Jenny Suh (-11), Chella Choi (-10)
- 12:24 pm: Stacy Lewis (-11), Amelia Lewis (-11)
- 12:32 pm: Paula Creamer (-12), Jessica Korda (-12)
- 12:40 pm: Na Yeon Choi (-15), Lizette Salas (-14)
[Update 1 (1:45 pm): Here's how the leaderboard stands now:
-16 Lizette Salas (-2 through 4)
-15 Stacy Lewis (-4 through 6), Na Yeon Choi (E through 4)
-13 P.K. Kongkraphan (-3 through 8), Thidapa Suwannapura (-3 through 7), Paula Creamer (-1 through 5)
-12 Sandra Gal (-4 through 9), Chella Choi (-2 through 7), Pornanong Phatlum (-2 through 7), Jenny Suh (-1 through 6)
Harukyo Nomura shot a 66 to move to T19 at -9.]
[Update 2 (1:49 pm): Other early scores from players I'm tracking: Line Vedel's 68 moved her to -7 for the week and T26 right now, while 69s from Ayako Uehara and Mi Rim Lee got them to -5/T34 and a 71 from Ai Miyazato brought her back to E/62nd.]
[Update 3 (2:09 pm): It's a fast-changing leaderboard!
-17 Stacy Lewis (-6 through 8)
-16 Lizette Salas (-2 through 6)
-15 Na Yeon Choi (E through 6)
-14 Sandra Gal (-6 through 11), P.K. Kongkraphan (-4 through 10), Thidapa Suwannapura (-4 through 9), Jessica Korda (-2 through 7)
-13 Chella Choi (-3 through 9), Pornanong Phatlum (-3 through 9), Paula Creamer (-1 through 7)
-12 Jenny Suh (-1 through 9)
Lewis and Gal are going off! Can they keep it up? Will Salas and Choi respond?]
[Update 4 (2:19 pm): Salas has a 43-hole bogey-free run going! Lewis's just ended at 10.]
[Update 5 (2:27 pm): This leaderboard is awesome!
-18 Lizette Salas (-4 through 8)
-16 Stacy Lewis (-5 through 9), Na Yeon Choi (-1 through 8)
-15 Jessica Korda (-3 through 8)
-14 Sandra Gal (-6 through 12), P.K. Kongkraphan (-4 through 11), Thidapa Suwannapura (-4 through 10)
-13 Pornanong Phatlum (-3 through 11), Jenny Suh (-1 through 10), Paula Creamer (-1 through 8)
-12 Christel Boeljon (-4 through 14), Morgan Pressel (-5 through 13), Lydia Ko (-2 through 12), Chella Choi (-2 through 10)
Wow!]
[Update 6 (3:16 pm): It's changing even as I'm trying to record it!
-17 Stacy Lewis (-6 through 13), Jessica Korda (-5 through 12), Na Yeon Choi (-2 through 12)
-15 Pornanong Phatlum (-5 through 14), Thidapa Suwannapura (-5 through 14), Lizette Salas (-1 through 12)
-14 Christel Boeljon (-6 through 16), Sandra Gal (-6 through 16), Lydia Ko (-4 through 15), P.K. Kongkraphan (-4 through 15)
-13 Morgan Pressel (-6 through 16), Chella Choi (-3 through 14), Paula Creamer (-1 through 13)
-12 Michelle Wie (-2 through 15), Jenny Suh (-1 through 14)
Wow!]
[Update 7 (3:18 pm): Salas's bogey-free run ended at 44 holes and she's since bogeyed 3 of her last 4 holes. Korda birdied 5 holes out of her last 7 to get into a share of the lead, but it looks like she just bogeyed the par-4 13th.]
[Update 8 (3:20 pm): NYC's bogey-free run is 30 holes and counting but Lewis just birdied the par-4 14th to pull 1 shot ahead of her!]
[Update 9 (3:32 pm): Oh, geez, I invoked the Mostly Harmless jinx on Salas and now NYC!]
[Update 10 (3:33 pm): Lewis could have won the tournament with an eagle on the par-5 15th, but she only parred it, so maybe she got a mini-jinx....]
[Update 11 (3:38 pm): Time to check in on the leaderboard again!
-18 Stacy Lewis (-7 through 15)
-16 Jessica Korda (-4 through 14), Na Yeon Choi (-1 through 13)
-15 Sandra Gal (-7 through 17), Pornanong Phatlum (-5 through 15), Thidapa Suwannapura (-5 through 15), Lizette Salas (-1 through 13)
-14 Christel Boeljon (-6 through 17), Lydia Ko (-4 through 16), P.K. Kongkraphan (-4 through 16), Paula Creamer (-2 through 14)
-13 Morgan Pressel (-6 through 17), Chella Choi (-3 through 15)
-12 Brittany Lincicome (68), Jenny Suh (-1 through 15)
Looks like it's coming down to the top 3.]
[Update 12 (3:58 pm): We're officially in the home stretch now!
-18 Stacy Lewis (-7 through 16)
-17 Jessica Korda (-5 through 15), Na Yeon Choi (-2 through 14)
-15 Sandra Gal (66), Christel Boeljon (66) Pornanong Phatlum (-5 through 17), Paula Creamer (-3 through 15), Lizette Salas (-1 through 15)
-14 Morgan Pressel (66), Lydia Ko (-4 through 17), Thidapa Suwannapura (-4 through 15), P.K. Kongkraphan (-4 through 17)
-12 Brittany Lincicome (68), Chella Choi (-2 through 16), Amelia Lewis (-1 through 16)
Let's see what happens!]
[Update 13 (4:18 pm): NYC bogeys 16 to fall back to -16, Korda birdies 17 to get to -18, Phatlum birdies 18 to end her bid for her 3rd worldwide win in as many starts at -16.]
[Update 14 (4:25 pm): Either LPGA.com is slow to update or there's a huge stack-up on the reachable par-5 18th!]
[Update 15 (4:35 pm): Here's what the leaderboard looks like now:
-18 Stacy Lewis (-7 through 17), Jessica Korda (-6 through 17)
-16 Pornanong Phatlum (67), Na Yeon Choi (-1 through 17)
-15 Sandra Gal (66), Christel Boeljon (66), Lydia Ko (68), P.K. Kongkraphan (68), Paula Creamer (-3 through 17), Lizette Salas (-1 through 17)
-14 Morgan Pressel (66), Thidapa Suwannapura (69)
-12 Brittany Lincicome (68), Michelle Wie (71), Chella Choi (71), Jenny Suh (72), Amelia Lewis (-1 through 17)
Waiting to see what Stacy does on 18!]
[Update 16 (4:36 pm): Stacy couldn't get up and down from just over the green in 2 and had to "settle" for a final-round 66.]
[Update 17 (4:42 pm): Now Jessica has an up-and-down chance from just over the green to win. If she can do it, she'll join Shanshan Feng and Pornanong Phatlum by beating Stacy on a par-5 final hole.]
[Update 18 (4:48 pm): Imagine if Korda's playing partner hadn't made 2 doubles and a triple this week! Creamer would have won this thing by a mile!]
[Update 19 (4:49 pm): Korda birdied 18!]
[Update 20 (4:56 pm): And here's the penultimate leaderboard snapshot:
-19 Jessica Korda (66)
-18 Stacy Lewis (66)
-16 Pornanong Phatlum (67), Paula Creamer (69), Na Yeon Choi (-1 through 17)
-15 Sandra Gal (66), Christel Boeljon (66), Lydia Ko (68), P.K. Kongkraphan (68), Lizette Salas (-1 through 17)
-14 Morgan Pressel (66), Thidapa Suwannapura (69)
-12 Brittany Lincicome (68), Michelle Wie (71), Chella Choi (71), Jenny Suh (72), Amelia Lewis (72)
What a heartbreaking finish for Stacy but great comeback by Jessica from a shank on the back 9 on moving day!]
[Update 21 (7:59 pm): Here's Tony Jesselli's overview!]
[Update 22 (8:03 pm): And here's my final look at the top of the leaderboard:
-19 Jessica Korda (66)
-18 Stacy Lewis (66)
-16 Pornanong Phatlum (67), Paula Creamer (69), Lizette Salas (71), Na Yeon Choi (72)
-15 Sandra Gal (66), Christel Boeljon (66), Lydia Ko (68), P.K. Kongkraphan (68)
-14 Morgan Pressel (66), Thidapa Suwannapura (69)
-12 Brittany Lincicome (68), Michelle Wie (71), Chella Choi (71), Jenny Suh (72), Amelia Lewis (72)
After Friday's action, I predicted the winning score would be between -15 and -18. Once again, the LPGA's best have exceeded my expectations!]
5 comments:
One of the best tournaments for a while with so many players having a chance to dominate but none nailing four great rounds. With one round to go I still liked Stacey’s chances of taking it out. You knew she would go under par again. So of my 5 picks to be top 5, Lewis 2nd Phatlum T3rd and Ko T7th with Lexi Thompson a disappointing T58th and Jaye Marie Green just missing the cut. It looks like Jaye is now headed straight to the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open. I would have thought perhaps the VOLVIK RACV Australian Masters or the ISPS Handa NZ Women’s Open here next week would be great tournament experience for her and mixing it with a much easier field with the likes of Lydia Ko, Charley Hull, Cheyenne Woods and Amelia Lewis who went so well this week. Thanks to Stacey who is always a good anchor bet I did come out in front.
I was really hoping NYC would break through, but she just couldn't get it going today. That opened the door for everyone else and Korda peaked at just the right time!
NYC had played so well especially yesterday those couple of bogeys really cost her today. Still I feel she is more likely to be in contention next tournament than Korda.
If Korda's healthy, she should be more consistent than earlier in her career, but you're right that she'd need a major upgrade in her game to be as consistently excellent as NYC!
I think you both underestimate Korda. She didn't post a good early round score then back into the win. She birdied three of the last four and won going away, though admittedly, only by a stroke.
I won't predict that she'll charge to the top of the world rankings, but three more wins in this this, her third year on tour, would certainly be possible. My only question would be will she be able to play this well when she's not paired with Creamer all four days.
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