Ko moves 1 clear of Jang in Florida
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ocala, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Lydia Ko fired a 7-under 65 in Friday's third round to move one stroke clear of Ha Na Jang at the season-opening Coates Golf Championship.
Ko ended 54 holes at 14-under-par 202. She picked up three of her five LPGA Tour titles last year, and with a win on Saturday will become the youngest player ever, male or female, to reach No. 1 in the world rankings.
Jang, the second-round leader, managed a 1-under 71 at Golden Ocala Golf and Equestrian Club and is alone in second place at minus-13. Na Yeon Choi carded a 6-under 66 to jump into third place at 12-under-par 204.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}World No. 3 Stacy Lewis shot 2-under 70 for the second straight round and she is alone in fourth place at 10-under 206. Amy Yang matched Ko's 65 and she soared into a share of fifth at minus-9. Yang was joined there by Jessica Korda (69) and Austin Ernst (70).
Ko, the third-ranked player in the world, birdied the second to get her round started. After a par at the third, she converted birdie efforts at the fourth and fifth to move to 10-under par, where she trailed Jang by two.
The 17-year-old picked up another birdie at the eighth. Around the turn, Ko fell back to minus-9 as she 3-putted for bogey at 10 and 11. She quickly rebounded from there.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I've been putting really well the last couple days. Even my front nine, I holed a lot of good putts when I had the chance. I was kind of shocked," Ko said of her bogeys.
Ko birdied the par-5 12th and made it two in a row as she also birdie the 13th to move back to 11-under. She followed with a birdie at 14 and that gave her a share of the lead.
At the par-3 15th, Ko drained a birdie effort to keep her roll going. She poured in her fifth consecutive birdie try at 16, and she now led by two.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ko parred the final two holes to remain atop the leaderboard.
"I'm just going to concentrate on my game, just stay really positive, and if somebody else shoots a much better score than I do, I can't really do much about it," said Ko. "Just going to focus and hopefully I'll go out and shoot a good score tomorrow."
Jang played steady golf to start her round. The tour rookie started with nine straight pars. She finally got on the board with a birdie at the 10th.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}However, a bogey at the 12th dropped her into a share of the lead at minus-12 with Choi. Jang ran off three pars in a row from the 13th before inching within one of the surging Ko with a birdie at 16. Like Ko, Jang parred the final two holes.
"I think I just need a little more practice on my irons. In the first and second rounds, my iron shots were much better, but today they were really bad," Jang said through an interpreter.
NOTES: Ko has the 54-hole lead for the fourth time in her career ... She has won one of the previous three times she was in that position ... Inbee Park rallied with a 5-under 67 to move into a tie for 17th at 3-under-par 213 ... Ko and Lewis could both overtake Park for the top spot in the world rankings, Ko with a win, and Lewis with a win and Park finishing in a three-way tie for third or worse.