Xiyu Lin holds a one-shot lead over Hannah Green and Inbee Park heading into the final round of the HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore; Lydia Ko among chasing pack - watch live on Sunday from 3.30am on Sky Sports Golf
Sunday 2 May 2021 08:02, UK
China's Xiyu Lin produced a spectacular finish to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore.
Lin birdied four of her last six holes to close out a five-under 67 at Sentosa Golf Club and get to 14 under, giving her a narrow advantage over Australia's Hannah Green and overnight co-leader Inbee Park.
Gaby Lopez fired a round-of-the-day 65 to jump within two of the lead, while Korean duo In Gee Chun and So Yeon Ryu are a further two strokes back and on 10 under alongside Lydia Ko.
"Going into the back nine, which I thought was the tougher nine, I didn't really expect to play that well but I also know there are still lots of opportunities," Lin said. "I just need to stay really patient. I mean, the last couple of holes were pretty unreal."
Lin went into the weekend two strokes back and slipped further behind with an opening-hole bogey, only to birdie the second and fifth and cancel out a blemish at the seventh by picking up a shot at the par-four ninth.
The world No 86 followed a birdie at the 13th with back-to-back gains from the 15th, before holing a 12-footer to save par at the 17th and firing her approach at the last to tap-in range to move top of the leaderboard.
Park had pulled clear of the field earlier in the day after reaching the turn in 32, with the world No 2 then bouncing back from bogeying the 11th to birdie the 13th and move three ahead of the chasing pack.
The two-time HSBC Women's World Championship winner bogeyed the 14th and double-bogeyed the par-five next after finding the water with her third shot, before a birdie at the par-four last got her back to 13 under.
Green is also a shot behind after three birdies in a four-hole stretch from the fifth and a hole-out eagle at the tenth helped her to a six-under 66, with Lopez in fourth spot after mixing nine birdies with two bogeys during an impressive third-round display.
Ko finished her three-under 69 with a hole-out eagle on the final green, while Madelene Sagstrom leads the European interest and is five strokes behind in tied-eighth after a four-under 68.
Overnight co-leader Hee Young Park dropped seven shots over her final four holes, including a quadruple-bogey at the 16th after putting two balls in the water, to slip into the group on four under that contains English pair Charley Hull and Jodi Ewart Shadoff.
Who will win the HSBC Women's World Championship? Watch the final round live on Sunday from 3.30am on Sky Sports Golf and 5.30am on Sky Sports Main Event.
