Hull clings on to 1-shot lead

MIAMI (AFP) — England’s Charley Hull fired a two-under par 68 and clung to a one-stroke lead over top-ranked Nelly Korda and China’s Zhang Weiwei after Saturday’s third round of the LPGA’s The ANNIKA tournament.

Hull found water at the 18th hole and made bogey but kept the lead alone when Korda three-putted for bogey in near-darkness at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida.

Meanwhile, Filipina Bianca Pagdanganan displayed remarkable resilience as she carded a one-under 69 in the third round.

Known for her power drives, the two-time Olympian had a strong performance off the tee as she hit 12 of 14 fairways with an average of 306 yards. However, she struggled with her putting as she missed five greens and required 32 putts to complete her round.

Hull said she had a solid performance until darkness crept in.

“Played pretty solid. I felt like I played well all day,” Hull said.

“But finishing in the dark wasn’t that fun. Shame to finish on a bogey but it was a good up-and-down.”

That left Hull on 12-under 198 with US star Korda, a six-time winner this year, shooting 67 to stand second on 199 with Zhang, who fired an LPGA career-low 62 to leap into contention.

“I just felt it was amazing day,” Zhang said.

“I don’t know how to play that well today. Just keep patient and just like normal and then I holed a lot of putts. That made me so surprised on some holes.”

Thailand’s Wichanee Meechai and South Korea’s Im Jin-hee shared fourth on 201 with Germany’s Olivia Cowan fifth on 202 and a pack on 203 including Japan’s Minami Katsu, Mexico’s Gaby Lopez and Americans Rose Zhang and Bailey Tardy.

World No. 12 Hull, a two-time LPGA winner seeking her first tour victory since October 2022, won her fourth Ladies European Tour title — and first in three years — two weeks ago at Riyadh.

Korda, in her first event after a neck injury sidelined her last month, seeks her first victory since June.

Hull opened with a birdie, added another at the par-5 seventh and had three birdie-bogey runs in the final seven holes — at the par-3 12th and par-4 13th, the par-5 14th and par-3 15th and the par-4 17th and 18, where she sank a four-foot bogey putt after a splashdown on her approach.