Jenny Bae was unable to make the most of a strong start to the third round of the Riviera Maya Open but held on to a one-stroke lead heading into Sunday’s final round.
The 23-year-old rookie started with three straight birdies but was unable to capitalise on that momentum, finishing with a one-under 71.
Bae’s impressive start was followed by a bogey on the par-four 6th but the back nine proved challenging as she had to settle for pars before ending with bogey on the final hole.
“I was definitely a little nervous and tense heading into the third round,” Bae admitted. “The three birdies back-to-back-to-back were a big confidence booster for me. I didn’t finish as well as I wanted to, but that’s OK. It just tells me I need to fight more in the last 18 holes.”
Chasing closely behind Bae are Japan’s Chisato Iwai and China’s Zhang Yahui, who both shot four-under 68s on Saturday to climb to a tie for second at six under.
Zhang said she simply focused on conserving pars on tougher holes while being aggressive on scoring opportunities.
“I just wanted to save all the pars. If the hole was difficult, I aimed to keep it on the fairway and on the green. But for par-fives or shorter par-fours, I would really try to make birdies,” she added.
Iwai, meanwhile, delivered one of the cleanest rounds of the day, bouncing back from a second-round 74 to put herself firmly in contention.
Her 68 included four birdies, capped by a pair on the final two holes.
Australia’s Gabriela Ruffels sits alone in fourth after a steady 71.
A cluster of players, including Lindy Duncan, Brianna Do and Germany’s Aline Krauter, shared fifth at four under.
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Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
