(Photo credit score: Erik Williams-Imagn Images)
LPGA Tour rookie Akie Iwai shook off an early bogey to shoot 9-under par over the ultimate 16 holes Saturday to storm to the 54-hole lead on the Standard Portland (Ore.) Classic.
Starting the day tied for fourth on the Columbia Edgewater Country Club, the 23-year-old native of Japan shot an 8-under 64 — tied for the low spherical of the match — to sit down at 18-under 198 for the three rounds and carry a two-stroke lead into Sunday.
Australia’s Grace Kim shot a 5-under 67 and sits second at 16-under 200, with Sweden’s Linn Grant sitting one shot behind Kim after making a cost with a 7-under 65.
Iwai, who has by no means received on Tour however has a pair of runner-up finishes earlier this season, bogeyed the par-3 second gap Saturday however adopted that with three birdies and an eagle over the subsequent 5 holes. She opened the again 9 with three birdies over the primary 4 holes, then made 4 straight pars earlier than closing her spherical with a birdie on 18.
After her spherical, Iwai credited one gap specifically for sparking her huge run.
‘No. 5, (the) par 5, I made eagle,’ she mentioned of the outlet that began a three-hole burst wherein she went 4 beneath. ‘After I bought many birdie possibilities, (I rode) good tempo.’
While Iwai bought scorching early, Kim was middling at 1 beneath on her spherical by means of 13 holes earlier than ending her spherical birdie-birdie-par-eagle-par.
The eagle got here the par-4 seventeenth, when her method from the fitting tough hit the tough to the fitting of the outlet, then bounced left on the inexperienced after which rode the break into the outlet.
‘Yeah, I leaked my drive somewhat proper. I believed I used to be going to be within the tough, which it was,’ Kim mentioned. ‘(The method) leaked proper once more. I used to be like, ‘Oh, please get by means of the tough.’ Somehow went within the gap, so I assume somewhat little bit of luck in there.’
Gurleen Kaur shot a 2-under 70 and sits in fourth at 13 beneath, one stroke forward of Aditi Ashok of India (65) and Gina Kim (67).
Jeongeun Lee5, who started the day with a one-stroke lead over Kaur and Grace Kim, carded a 2-over 74 to fall right into a tie for eleventh at 10-under 206.
One of these in pursuit of Iwai, whose final high 10 end was a tie for seventh on the Meijer LPGA Classic in June, is her twin sister Chisato Iwai, a fellow rookie who shot a 6-under 66 and is tied for seventh at 11 beneath.
Like her sister, Chisato Iwai eagled the par-5 fifth and birdied the par-5 seventh. She bogeyed the par-3 thirteenth however adopted that with back-to-back birdies and closed with a birdie 3 on 18.
Tied with Chisato Iwai at 11 beneath are fellow Japanese participant Rio Takeda (66), Lauren Coughlin (66) and South Korea’s Haeran Ryu (67).
–Field Level Media