Seasoned pro Cristie Kerr put herself in prime position to claim a second tour win of the year at TPC Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, carding 6-under par 65, to leave her with a slender one-shot cushion over over-night leader Shanshan Feng.
The American shot seven birdies and one bogey on the East Course to replace Feng at the top of the leader board as the tournament heads into the final stretch. With 19 LPGA Tour victories to her name, the former world no.1 knows how to close out a tournament, setting up the prospect of a thrilling finish on Sunday.
The 40-year old Kerr has shown consistent form all year, winning the LOTTE Championship in April and claiming a further eight top-10 finishes to date, but victory at the US$ 1.8 million purse Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia would be a stellar achievement, even by her standards.Speaking after her round, Kerr said:
“Well, I definitely hit it better, and when I give my putter chances, usually I do okay with that. So it’s been fun the last couple days.
“I’m just going to enjoy it. I’m really blessed. I’m just going to try to not put too much pressure on myself. I didn’t hit it great coming in on the back but I didn’t stress about it. I just tried to do the best I could. That’s where I play my best golf from; I try to do the best on every shot, so that’s my mantra tomorrow.”
Feng had a quiet round by her standards on a course she is very at home with, making 3-under par 68. But with a record around the East Course that boasts two wins and two runner-up finishes in the last four years, she will fancy her chances on Sunday. The world no. 6 from China said:
“I think the key is to find the fairways and to find the greens here and I think that’s what I’ve been doing pretty well. Even if I’m not on the greens, maybe the up-and-downs wouldn’t have been too hard, but I’m just feeling comfortable here. I’m not really trying to think about that bogey-free thing, I just want to keep the good playing going.”
In third place, and four shots off the lead, Sei Young Kim of Korea continues to keep some pressure on the leaders and will be looking for a strong finish to bring herself into contention on Sunday.
One shot behind Kim and tied at 10-under par are Stacy Lewis and Jacqui Concolino.
The eight-strong Malaysian contingent were unable to follow through on some of the promise shown in the first two rounds, 4-over par being the benchmark score for the day, set by Winnie Ng, Kelly Tan and Aretha Pan. 16-yer old amateur Ng continues to lead the national players with a very respectable score of 4-over par on aggregate.
Speaking about her plan for the final round, Ng said:“My game plan is to play safe, play like a professional, hit for the middle of the green and hope for the best.”
Pink Saturday saw a sea of pink descend on TPC Kuala Lumpur as the tournament continued in its efforts to raise funds for charitable partner Cancer Research Malaysia. With RM 181,450 raised over the first two days, organisers will have good reason to be pleased.
With the tournament perfectly poised as it heads into the final day, and the Courtyard Marquee in full swing, Sunday promises to be a day to remember.
For tickets, which come with a goody bag including bottles of Gatorade and Sam Da Soo water,a La Cremeria ice cream, a pair of Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia Pink Sunglasses, a RSH voucher and a RM10 Food Voucher, visit the tournament website at www.simedarbylpgamalaysia.com
Come and see for yourself why the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia really is Malaysia’s most fun golf event. Follow us this week at www.facebook.com/SimeDarbyLPGAMalaysia, or via Twitter and Instagram using @SimeDarbyLPGA, #SimeDarbyLPGA, #WomenWithDrive #TPCKL
