With just one round left to play at the U.S. Women’s Open presented by ProMedica, Lydia Ko has catapulted herself up the leaderboard after a Saturday 66. The 5-under round saw Ko make six birdies and one bogey, and she hit 13 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens on Moving Day, needing only 27 putts to get the job done at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club. Her 66 ties her lowest round of the major championship – she also shot 66 at the 2016 U.S. Women’s Open at CordeValle where she finished tied for third, her best finish in the event – and Ko will again be looking to go low on Sunday in Southern Pines.
“Overall, I think I played solid, and I hit a lot of greens,” she said. “Some of the greens I hit, it was quite a ways away from the pin, but still, you take any green in regulations. I stayed pretty patient out there, and I think that's what I did pretty well these last few days. You know that even though it's the same as any other 72-hole event, this week just feels a little longer, a little tougher.
The Rolex Rankings No. 3 has played some solid golf this season, notching her 17th career victory at the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio and carding top-10s at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions (T10) and the Palos Verdes Championship presented by Bank of America (T3). She leads the Tour in putting average and hasn’t finished outside the top 25 since the 2021 AIG Women’s Open last season, where she tied for 29th. As she looks to the final round at a firm and fast Pine Needles, Ko is readying herself to chase down leader Minjee Lee and is prepared for the challenge of a U.S. Women’s Open Sunday.
“There have been some lower scores at this course,” said Ko, who currently sits in a tie for fourth through 54 holes. “I don't know how it's going to be set up, what the weather is forecasted to be tomorrow. It's the U.S. Women's Open. There's always that little bit of adrenaline and a little bit of nerves that necessarily don't come at any other event. It's a fun course where I think you can be aggressive, but at the same time, there are some penalizing bits as well. You have to play really smart. I think this has been one of the most fun venues of the U.S. Women's Opens that I've played. So I'd better finish off my week well and see where that puts me at the end of tomorrow.”
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