The last hole changed the leaderboard
Ruoning Yin chipped in for birdie on the 18th green at TPC Boston on Saturday and walked off with the outright lead at the FM Championship. Her 4-under-par 68 put her at 12 under, one shot clear of the field in Norton, Mass.
She also won an ice cream. The bet was struck before the round with her coach, and Yin was happy to explain the terms.
“My coach, he told me if I made birdie on the last hole, he will buy my ice cream, and I think we are on 10 right now,” she said. “Cookies and cream would be my go-to. Second one is going to be mint chocolate.”
Try it for $0.99.
Six birdies against two early bogeys
The round did not start the way she wanted. Yin dropped shots at the first and the fourth, then answered with birdies at the second, sixth, ninth, 12th, 16th and 18th. Six gains against two losses on a course where the leaders have been going low all week.
The 23-year-old has five career wins on the LPGA Tour and two runner-up finishes this season, which is the sort of record that turns a Sunday like this into an obvious opportunity rather than a first-time test.
“Patience,” Yin said of the week. “I think my coach and I had a deep talk early this week, and I think we both knew that it’s coming. Just, yeah, all I need to do is just be patient and play my game and everything else will come.”
South Korea packs the top of the board
Hyo Joo Kim, who shared the lead after 36 holes, shot 70 and sits second at 11 under alongside Sei Young Kim, whose 67 contained five birdies, an eagle and a double bogey. Somi Lee added a 70 to tie Jenny Bae for fourth at 8 under.
Lee used the leaderboard to make a point about the depth behind her at home. “There are so many players that are good in Korea,” she said, “and my hope is that they’re able to come up to the LPGA and compete.”
Friday’s co-leaders both fell away. Allisen Corpuz shot 74 and dropped into a six-way tie for sixth at 7 under, while Miyu Yamashita signed for 75 and slipped to 12th at 6 under.
Discover the rest of our golf news on MathODDS!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply