Akie Iwai of Japan fired a third-round 64 on Saturday to move into a three-way tie for first place at the JM Eagle LA Championship in Los Angeles.
Iwai began her round with an eagle on the par-5 first hole and made five birdies on the back nine to go 8 under for the day after the bogey-free round. She goes into the fourth round tied atop the leaderboard at 199 with Lauren Coughlin (66 on Saturday) and Sweden’s Ingrid Lindblad (68).
Iwai, who was coming off a second-round 69, said she felt she was “getting better than yesterday. … We did five meters (and then) birdie putt most of them.”
She is looking for her first LPGA Tour win. Her best finish was tying for seventh in last year’s British Women’s Open.
Lindblad, who also has not won on the tour, was coming off a 9-under-par 63 at El Caballero Country Club on Friday. She took a bogey on the ninth hole, her only bogey of the day, and had five birdies, including four on the back nine.
“You know, obviously, it felt like I got off to a little slower start. Yesterday I just made so many birdies the first couple holes, but kind of just didn’t make as many putts as yesterday, but obviously still played well. I thought I hit it in the water on 9, managed to make bogey. Then I hit a great drive on 10, so kind of got some momentum going into the back nine doing that.”
Coughlin also played bogey-free golf and enjoyed the most success early and late in the day. She birdied four of her first five holes, then two of her last three.
“I hit some OK putts and some not-OK putts there in the middle, but I felt like I hung in there really good. Made some good par saves toward the middle third of the round and then was able to finish it off well,” said Coughlin, who is a two-time winner on tour, both coming last summer.
Alone in fourth place at 201 is Ina Yoon of South Korea (64). Rio Takeda of Japan (64), Nelly Korda (67) and Minjee Lee of Australia (70) are tied for fifth at 14 under.
Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa, who began the day tied for the lead with Lindblad, followed rounds of 63 and 68 with a 77 on Saturday. She had five bogeys on her first 14 holes and struggled to a double-bogey six on No. 18.
–Field Level Media
