Lotte Championship 2021 R3
April 14-17
Kapolei Golf Club, Oahu, Hawaii
$2,000,000
Round 1, Round 2, Round 4

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Lydia Ko carded a third-round 65 to sit at 21-under rising to the top of the leaderboard heading into the final day at the LOTTE Championship. Her 195 sets the new tournament record, four strokes better than Su-Yeon Jang’s 199 in 2017. After getting off to a slow start, she carded only two birdies on her first seven holes, before kicking it into high gear in her final holes. The 23-year-old birdied four of her last five holes, maintaining her second-consecutive bogey-free round of the tournament.

Lotte Championship 2021 R3

“My front nine I didn't get off to a fast compared to my other -- well, the first two rounds, but I tried to stay patient and give myself good looks for birdies. I had a stretch in the middle of the front nine where I had really long putts for birdies. So just trying to not make stupid mistakes and kind of keep it in control.Nice to finish up the round with two birdies on the last two holes. This is a golf course where even though it's windy it seems like everybody is playing so well, so you're just trying to make your share of birdies,” said Ko. “I've just been having a lot of fun out here, and that's kind of the mindset for tomorrow as well.”

Lotte Championship 2021 R3

Nelly Korda's third-round 63 ties her career-low 18 holes. She birdied six of her opening nine holes, hitting every green in regulation on the front nine. Despite a bogey on the 10th, which Korda notes was due to her regretful tee shot, the 22-year-old finished strong with birdies in three of her last four holes. Korda returns to the final grouping at the LOTTE Championship just like in 2019 when she shared the 54-hole lead with eventual champion Brooke Henderson, but ultimately finished eighth at -9. This year, she’s looking to change the narrative as she goes for her second title of 2021.

"I just feel like it's like home. Kind of the same grass, wind, you know, I just like the layout of the golf course. Hitting it close and making putts, you know, it's going well so far this week, so hopefully I can keep it going for 18 more holes.”

Lotte Championship 2021 R3

The 36-hole leader Yuka Saso fell to third after starting her round with four bogeys and three birdies on her front nine. The 19-year-old mentally reset heading into the last nine holes, recording two more birdies to fire a 71 and finish at -17.

“When I don't really play well or when I -- when the thing doesn't go my way I don't really talk too much. You know, I've been trying to fix that. I'm trying to communicate with my caddie as much as can rather than just being quiet. Yeah, I think I did that well today,” said Saso.

Lotte Championship 2021 R3

Leona Maguire took advantage of moving day in her own right, setting a personal-best round of 65 to sit at 16-under. Amy Yang is six strokes back of leader Ko at 15-under, after firing her lowest round since the third round of the 2019 Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic (64).

"I was hitting the ball really solid out there and also putted so well. The hitting ball was very solid and I gave myself a lot of good chances, and at the same time putting was working well, so it was helping me like shooting low score today.”

Lexi Thompson, Hyo Joo Kim and 2015 LOTTE champion Sei Young Kim sit in a tie for sixth at 14-under, with seven players tied for ninth at 13-under, including major champion Hannah Greenand Tour winner Ally Ewing.

Lotte Championship 2021 R3