By Tom LaMarre – Courtesy The Sports Xchange
Charley Hull of England sank an eight-foot birdie putt on the last hole to complete a 4-under-par 69 and tie Anna Nordqvist of Sweden for the lead heading to the final round of the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic at Ocean Club Golf Course in Paradise Island, Bahamas.
The 19-year-old Hull (pictured), seeking her first LPGA Tour victory, was even par for the round through 10 holes before carding birdies on four of the last eight holes.
“I missed a putt for par on the first hole, but I just put my head down, forgot about it and played one shot at a time,” said Hull, whose only pro victory came in a playoff at the 2014 Lalla Meryem Cup on the Ladies European Tour.
“I’ve been putting well all week, so I just concentrated on putting a good roll on it. It was nice to finish with a birdie and I’m just going to go out tomorrow and keep playing golf.
“I like this golf course and I like this place.”
Hull, who has shared the lead at the end of each round, started with scores of 68-70 and is tied with Nordqvist at 12-under 207.
Nordqvist birdied four of the first eight holes and two of the last four, making her lone bogey at No. 11 while shooting 68.
“I just stayed patient and made some confident swings,” said Nordqvist, who claimed her fifth LPGA Tour victory last year in the ShopRite LPGA Classic. “I made some birdies early and that got me going.
“The wind has been different every day, so you just have to adapt.”
Stacy Lewis, No. 3 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, started with six straight pars but then birdied six of the last 12 holes in a bogey-free 68.
That left her one stroke back in a tie for third with South Koreans Hyo Joo Kim, who had a 68, and Sei Young Kim, who totaled 69.
Rookie Megan Khang posted a 71 and was another stroke back in a tie for sixth with Ilhee Lee of South Korea, who came in at 66.
Hee Young Park of South Korea also carded a 66 and was three shots behind in a tie for eighth with Alison Lee of Valencia and UCLA, who 69, and Catriona Matthew of Scotland, who finished at 71.
Tom LaMarre has been a sportswriter and copy editor for more than 50 years, including 15 years with the Oakland Tribune and 22 with the Los Angeles Times. He was the Tribune’s beat writer for the Oakland Raiders for seven seasons in the 1970s, highlighted by their 32-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, and collaborated on a book, Winning Offensive Football, with quarterback Ken Stabler. He also covered the Oakland Athletics when they won three consecutive World Series during the 1970s and the Golden State Warriors when they won the NBA championship in the 1974-75 season. With the Times, he wrote columns on golf, football and skiing. These days, he is the Golf Editor for The Sports Xchange. LaMarre graduated from Skyline High in Oakland and attended the University of San Francisco.