Kia Classic, Sunday Scramble Coming Up!

Aug 15, 2014; Pittsford, NY, USA; Mirim Lee and her caddie decide how to approach her tee shot on the 18th hole during the second round of the Wegman

Moving Day at the Kia Classic surpassed my expectations. Just about everybody had their game dialed in today. Lydia Ko was in the lead, then Cristie Kerr pulled up. Wait, here comes the rookie standout Alison Lee, then Mirim Lee. Hall of Famer Si Rie Pak, who says you never lose the adrenalin rush of a great shot, got in the mix and so did Sakura Yokomine, who traveled the greatest distance on moving day, all the way from a T17th start to a T3 finish. I confess. As the round progressed the movement got faster and more furious I had trouble keeping track of who was at 12-under and who just fired a birdie putt and moved up another notch. I just sat back and let it all wash over me and enjoyed the action.

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The Big Three

Although it’s not entirely fair to take Lydia Ko, Inbee Park, and Stacy Lewis as the barometer of a round, in this case I think their stories do capture the drama of the 3rd round at the Kia Classic.

Ko, the top-ranked golfer in the world, is toppling one record after another. The 17-year old who’s playing her 2nd year as a pro leaves us all breathless as shot after shot, round after round, she plays a game of near-perfect control and execution. Ko’s round today was looking predictably good. She’d carded an eagle on the par-4 7th and at the turn was rolling along at 11-under par, very comfortably sitting in the upper reaches of the leaderboard. She added 3 more birdies through the 13th hole, which put her at 14-under and swapping the top of the board back and forth with Mirim Lee.

Lydia Ko. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

Then disaster stuck, a bogey on 16 and another on 18 and I was reminded that Lydia Ko, who is a simply spectacular athlete, is also subject to the same rules of golf that govern my game. There are times when shots just go wrong and recovery is expensive. Ko finished her round at 12-under par and will go into the 4th round Sunday T5th and trailing Mirim Lee’s lead by 4 shots.

Stacy Lewis had a very similar experience. She had a good round going, not great, but good. She’d been playing catch-up golf, which she does very well, staying in the short grass, waiting for her opportunities, taking them when there was an opening.

Stacy Lewis Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

She was starting the final hole at 11-under, still trailing, but within reach of the top with a good Sunday round, and it all unraveled with a bad tee shot that went soaring off to the left into the Batiquitos Lagoon nature preserve and OB, which put her back on the tee hitting her 3rd shot on a par-4 hole. I’ve been there. It hurts. It’s golf. Lewis doubled, ended her round at 9-under — a situation many others in the Kia Classic field probably envy — and going into Sunday trailing Mirim Lee’s lead by 7 shots.

Inbee Park, on the other hand, delivered the steady, controlled bogey-free round that’s her forté and played her way from 6-under to 10-under for a 4th round start between Ko and Lewis, just about right for her placement in the world rankings.

Saturday’s Big Moves & Sunday’s Opportunities

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Alison Lee just keeps delivering one splendid round after another, first a 69 followed by a pair of 66s. The rookie will play in the final group tomorrow. Her opponent is formidable, a power player with Sunday closing experience. Golf Channel’s Judy Rankin give Mirim Lee the advantage, but watching the rookie play her way through the ranks over the last 3 days I’ve seen a cool head and a hot putter at work. I think she has a good chance to take the victory Sunday afternoon.

The way Cristie Kerr’s been playing at the Kia Classic, she rather than Mirim Lee could well be Alison Lee’s primary competition tomorrow. Kerr hasn’t been in Sunday contention for a while and she’s been playing golf this week like a woman on fire. Her ball striking is fueled by authority. Her putting, which has never lacked for confidence, seems consistently dialed into the Aviara greens.

Paula Creamer

Paula Creamer also put herself into the final round mix today with a 17th hole birdie putt reminiscent of that winning eagle putt last year at the HSBC Women’s Champions. Creamer’s going into Sunday at 12-under par, trailing the lead by 4 shots but playing with some grit and determination I haven’t seen in her game this season.

Lexi Thompson is also looking like she’s ready to go back to work. She needs to be thinking along those lines. She has a big title defense coming up next. Thompson played her way onto the front page of the leaderboard and will start the final round at 11-under, trailing Mirim Lee by 5 shots. That’s a distance that Thompson could span if she can keep her short game dialed in on Sunday.

Playing for a Ticket to the ANA Inspiration

If she can deliver one more low round tomorrow, it’s looking more and more like Katie Burnett is going to play her way into the year’s first Major, the ANA Inspiration. Burnett will start the final round at 10-under and playing in very good company, Inbee Park, Ha Na Jang, Brittany Lang and Morgan Pressel. Perhaps Burnett, who was paired with Lydia Ko today, has rediscovered one of golf’s paradoxes – sometimes our level of play is elevated by our immediate competition.

Sunday Schedule

Sei Young Kim, Ilhee Lee and Pornanong Phatlum will lead off the final round of the Kia Classic at 10:33am local time. The field will tee off on split tees, with the final group — Mirim Lee, Alison Lee and Sakura Yokomine — going off the #1 tee at 12:45pm local time.

Golf Channel will begin coverage of the final Kia Classic round in progress at 6pm ET and Ladies Dream Golf will host a post-tourney Google+ hangout. Follow this link for more information.

ProGolfNow will continue to provide commentary on the Kia Classic and all upcoming women’s golf events on both the LPGA and LET. Look for my ANA Inspiration preview and daily coverage during the great race to Poppy’s Pond that’s coming up next on the women’s golf calendar. If you follow me on Twitter @bethbethel I’ll notify you when I post new commentary.

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