Numerous players elevated their game to position themselves as contenders for the US$1.8 million HSBC Women’s World Championship title on moving day. Japan’s Ayaka Furue is the player to catch after she carded a third round four-under-par 68 to stay on course of ending her two-year title drought.
Furue traded five birdies against one bogey to compile a three-day total of 10-under-par 206, giving her a two-shot advantage over Australia’s Hannah Green, who returned with another 67.
Overnight leader Celine Boutier of France and American Andrea Lee are a further shot back in equal third place after signing for rounds of 72 and 67 respectively.
Furue established a commanding lead at 10-under and maintained it throughout the round. With two successive birdies on holes one and two and making pars on the third and fourth holes, the 23-year-old continued to make her way up the leaderboard with birdies on the fifth and seventh holes before turning in 32.
Furue’s only blemish came at the par-four 12 where she would quickly respond with another birdie on 13 before carding five straight pars to reach the pinnacle of the leaderboard. She concluded the day with a 4-under 68, bringing her three day total to 10-under 206.
“I had three birdies in the front nine holes, and I just kind of kept my momentum going. So that was really good for me. I just feel excited to be at the top of the leaderboard,” said the golfer from Kobe.
She may be the shortest player on tour at only 5 feet 0 inches, but the petite golfer has lots of fire in her.
“I just hit straight. That’s one of my strategies for training. I don’t really think about other players when I’m hitting my shot, how far they go or how far they hit. I just focus on my play,” said Furue, hoping a win would open the door to the Paris Olympics.
Hannah Green of Australia. Photo: HSBC Women’s World Championship
Hannah Green, a three-time LPGA winner, including one major, also showcased an impressive performance. The Australian concluded the round at 5-under 67 with six birdies and a single bogey. She finished two strokes behind the leader at 8-under 208, securing sole possession of second place.
“I knew I needed to make pars on certain holes and not be as aggressive, and when I have a wedge in my hand, try to go for the pin. My caddie and I do a good job of that. It can be tough. Even though I shot 5-under, it still felt like a lot of work compared to yesterday. Put myself in a good position for tomorrow,” said Green, who finished runner-up in the 2021 HSBC Women’s World Championship.
Andrea Lee had a shaky start with a bogey on the third hole, but she quickly recovered with six birdies and signed for a 5-under 67 for total 7-under 209.
Andrea Lee of the United States. Photo: HSBC Women’s World Championship
“I stayed really patient out there today. I knew there were birdie holes out here, and I just stayed patient. I hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens, and I made some putts and scored really well, so I’m proud of myself.,” said the 25-year-old American, a former golf prodigy who spent 17 weeks as world number one in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
“Last week in Thailand, I struggled a little bit with the driver. But I think I finally got it in check, and it’s working really well this week. Hopefully, I have a good driving day tomorrow. It’s important to hit fairways out here,” said Lee, whose sole win on tour came in 2022 at the Portland Classic.
She is tied in third position with second-round leader Celine Boutier of France.
Boutier, meanwhile, cut a frustrating figure as she felt let down by the inconsistency with her long game. The 30-year-old got off to a shaky start with two bogeys in her opening four holes. She recovered momentarily with a birdie on five but dropped another shot on six before an eagle-three on eight helped to get her back into the mix.
“It’s frustrating because I feel like my game was so different and not where it needs to be. I didn’t really have the best of starts as I missed a few greens on the front nine, had a chip-in on eight to get me back to even, and then I kind of scrambled from there.
“My long game was definitely not as good as yesterday but I was able to save a lot of pars. But overall, I’m happy to have another chance at it tomorrow,” said Boutier.
Unlike most players preparing for the final day thrust, Boutier will be dancing the night away at the opening night of Taylor Swift concert tonight.
Celine Boutier of France. Photo: HSBC Women’s World Championship
“I’m very excited to be able to go to the concert in Singapore tonight, so I think it’s going to be a nice way to kind of relax, have some fun, and hopefully be in a good mood for tomorrow,” said Boutier.
Defending champion Ko Jin-young, who is gunning for an unprecedented hat-trick of titles at the championship, moved into contention with a 66 after starting slowly with earlier rounds of 71 and 73.
When asked of her chances of creating tournament history at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, Ko cheekily said: “It’ll be a great honour if I do win tomorrow. And, if I manage to do that, I will buy house in Singapore! But I heard it’s really expensive here in Singapore.”
World No. 1 Lilia Vu of the United States also made up for a disappointing day on Friday by bouncing back with a 68 to stay five shots back of Furue in tied-ninth place.
“Yesterday was really not a good putting day for me. I knew that was not me. I was just waiting for today to come so I could make more birdies,” said Vu.
The HSBC Women’s World Championship boasts an international field with representation from 22 countries across the world.
