Morgan Pressel, Jessica Korda, Stacy Lewis Making Big Moves in Malaysia

By Elizabeth Bethel | Oct 10, 2015

Morgan Pressel, Jessica Korda and Stacy Lewis all made big 3rd round moves at the Sime Carby LPGA Malaysia

I was beginning to think the Americans were going to rest on their Solheim Cup laurels but Moving Day at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia changed my mind. Morgan Pressel turned on the gas, fired off 8 birdies, carded the low round of the day — a 63 — and rocketed up 36 spots on the board! Take a look at her scorecard:

Pressel moved in a big way — from 50th to T14th — but she’s going into the final round at 6-under par and trailing the lead that Jessica Korda established by 6 shots. She’s going to need to go very low again on Sunday and get some help from above in order to get to the top of the board.

Like most golfers, Pressel has a little superstition. She changes golf balls after a bogey, so she posted a Facebook picture of her 3rd round “little guy” –

Jessica Korda, who laughed her way around the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country track in the company of Lydia Ko and Ha Na Jang, also stepped up her game on Moving Day.

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Korda was left behind last month when Team USA got on the bus after the Evian and took off for Germany to reclaim the Solheim Cup. She admitted she didn’t make the United States 2015 Solheim Cup team because she didn’t play well enough.

"“I really played myself off of the team . . .I had been playing so poorly that Solheim wasn’t even on my radar. . .” – Jessica Korda"

It looks like Korda could be getting an early start on her 2017 Solheim Cup points!

Korda’s third round bogey-free 65 was enough to move her from T10 to the top of the leaderboard and take her into Sunday’s final round defending a 2-shot lead over Stacy Lewis and rookie Jang, who’s been flirting with a win since her opening round but who struggled through her back 9 on Saturday despite Korda’s on-course hi-jinks.

Jang had been keeping pace with Korda until she hit trouble on the par-3 15th and walked off with a double. Still a bit wobbly, she bogeyed the 16th and even though she recovered a shot on the 17th she still ended the round trailing by two.

Jang and Stacy Lewis, who also carded a bogey-free 65, will go into the final round chasing Korda and sharing 2nd place.

Lewis, who’s been frustrated by a winless season, will again play in the final group on Sunday. With her game dialed in — she’s consistently hitting fairways and drilling putts — Lewis knows she’ll need another low round on Sunday to break into the 2015 winner’s circle. Six runner-ups this season aren’t enough for the super-competitive Lewis. She hasn’t hoisted a trophy for 16 months now, but Lewis likes the Kuala Lumpur track:

"“This golf course is just a shootout. It’s just who is going to make the most birdies at the end of the week. Just nice to be back somewhere close to the lead and hopefully just within a few shots going into tomorrow.” – Stacy Lewis"

But none of the leaders — not Korda, not Lewis and not Jang — is in a secure position going into the final round. Lydia Ko is right behind them at 9-under, 3 shots off the lead, and just one shot further back Inbee Park is lurking and waiting.

Sunday looms large in Kuala Lumpur and it begins 12 hours ahead of Sunday ET!

Next: Inbee Park On the Move in Malaysia

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