There was clearly something special in the Fife air when Inbee Park and Stacy Lewis got their third rounds of the Ricoh Women’s British Open under way at 10.25am yesterday. Together the South Korean and American made short work of Kingsbarns, posting a joint score of 15 under par.
They teed off more than four hours before the overnight leader, In-Kyung Kim, and enjoyed sunny, calm morning conditions. It was raining heavily when Kim, who led by two overnight, launched her round in mid-afternoon.
By that time Park and Lewis, who had started the day nine shots behind, were occupying second and third places on the leaderboard. Park, with an eight-under-par 64, equalled the course record set by Michelle Wie on Thursday, while Lewis posted a 65.
So successful were their efforts that had it not been for the continuing brilliance of Kim, the pair would have harboured serious hopes for today. Both know how to win majors — Park has seven, the last being this championship when it was held at Turnberry two years ago, while Lewis has two, winning this event when it was held up the coast at St Andrews in 2013.
“We both played great golf, which really drives each other on,” said Park, 29. “We had a great vibe and it’s good to play with a friend. When somebody has just holed a putt you kind of think, ‘I can hole this one as well.’”
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Park had a 30ft effort on the last green to set a new course record but couldn’t add a ninth birdie to her flawless round. “I didn’t know there was a course record [available] and I wasn’t paying attention to that, to be honest,” she admitted.
“It was nice and warm, and it was very good conditions for scoring. The greens were much quicker than the last two days which really helped me a lot, because before I just couldn’t trust that they were slow. I love playing in twosomes — it’s just much quicker and a nice rhythm for me.”
Both Park and Lewis will, nevertheless, have to do pretty much the same again today and also hope Kim collapses, because the leader was in no mood to relinquish her two-shot overnight advantage over playing partner Georgia Hall and American Lexi Thompson. She posted a bogey-free 66 to end the day six shots clear of the field.
Kim, who is also 29, has won twice on the LPGA Tour already this season, and as recently as a fortnight ago. She missed a tiny putt to win the Kraft Nabisco championship in 2012, but has given herself an even better chance of a first major today.
The South Korean reached the turn in four-under-par 32, doubling her lead over 21-year-old Hall. The pursuer’s eagle two at the fifth and two birdies were undermined by a bogey on the ninth, where she was the recipient of an unlucky bounce in her approach to the green.
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Hall, from Bournemouth, leads the Ladies European Tour rankings and is guaranteed a Solheim Cup debut when captain Annika Sorenstam completes the European team by adding her four wild card picks tonight. She quickly put the setback at the turn behind her with consecutive birdies at the 13th, 14th and 15th — having hauled herself back into contention she dropped three shots at the 16th and 17th.
She finished with a 70 to end the day in joint second place with Thailand’s Moriya Jutanugarn, and one ahead of Park and Ally McDonald.
Although she won’t win after a third-round 72, Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist is expected to have the consolation of being the first of Sorenstam’s wild card picks. She didn’t recover from glandular fever in time to play in last week’s Scottish Open, which would have given her an automatic place, but has settled any doubts about her fitness.
The only Scottish player to make the cut, Sally Watson, shot a 75 and will begin her last round as a professional golfer today from near the back of the field. The 26-year-old from nearby Elie is quitting the LET to take up a place at the Chicago Booth School of Business.
She was helped in her application by former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, her academic adviser when she studied at Stanford. With connections of this calibre, swapping the financially challenged European golf circuit for the potential riches of the American business world may not be the worst career option.
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Catriona Matthew admitted that failing to make the weekend has jeopardised her chances of being picked to play in an eighth Solheim Cup. The 47-year-old is, however, at the very least guaranteed to be at Des Moines later this month as a vice-captain.
54-hole leaderboard
-17 In-Kyung Kim (S Kor) 65 68 66
-11 Georgia Hall (Eng) 68 67 70, Moriya Jutanugarn (Tha) 70 68 67
-10 Inbee Park (S Kor) 72 70 64, Ally McDonald (USA) 68 68 70
-9 Stacy Lewis (USA) 70 72 65
-8 Mel Reid (Eng) 67 72 69
ON TV TODAY
Women’s British Open, final day
Sky Sports Golf, 12.30pm