Lydia Ko surveys the course on day four at the Australian Open.
Lydia Ko is one shot behind Haru Nomura with two holes left to play in the final round of the Australian Open.
The world no 1 started slowly at the tournament at The Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, with rounds of two-under on both Thursday and Friday. She then sprang into life on Saturday, birdying the first four holes on her way to finishing in a tie for fourth at eight-under, one shot behind the three leaders: American Danielle Kang, South Korea’s Jenny Shin and Japan’s Nomura.
Shin has dropped back in the final round, while Australian Karrie Webb has joined the other three in the hunt for the title.
Follow hole-by-hole updates below, as she tries to win the tournament for the second year in a row.
Leaderboard: Nomura -15 (15); Ko -14 (16); Kang -11 (15); Webb -9 (17)
Hole 16 (par 4): After Nomura birdies 15 to open up a two-shot lead, Ko birdies the 16th to bring it back to one. Big finish on the cards here.
Hole 15 (par 4): Ko has a long putt for birdie and a share of the lead … and it just goes wide to the left. Still one back with three to play after she pars.
Hole 14 (par 3): Ko pars, but Nomura birdies behind her to retake the lead.
Hole 13 (par 5): Another big birdie, and Ko is back tied for the lead. Huge stuff.
Hole 12 (par 3): Needing to step up, Ko sinks a great birdie putt to move a shot back from Nomura.
Hole 11 (par 4): Ko does brilliantly to get to the green in two shots, but can’t get the birdie. Meanwhile, Nomura does on the 10th, opening up a two-shot lead.
Hole 10 (par 5): Ko can only par the 10th, as Nomura birdies the ninth to take the lead for herself. Next is the 11th, which she has bogeyed twice this tournament.
Hole nine (par 4): Ko misses a long birdie putt by a few inches, and so remains tied for the lead as she finishes the front 9 three-under for the day. Ko and playing partner Shin are playing rather slow.
Hole eight (par 3): Ko pars again – after a long effort for birdie is well wide. Nomura has now moved up to share the lead with her, with Kang and Webb just one shot back.
Hole seven (par 4): Ko gets par again, after narrowly missing her birdie putt.
Hole six (par 4): Ko gets par – but moves into the outright lead as Webb drops a shot on the seventh. Nomura has now joined Webb and Kang at 10-under. Those four looking like the contenders.
Hole five (par 5): Having made the green in two, Ko misses her eagle putt by a couple of feet, but claims the birdie to move back into a share of the lead. Kang birdies the fourth to sit one back at 10-under.
Hole four (par 3): Another par hole for Ko, which gives Australian Karrie Webb a chance to move ahead with a birdie of her own on the fifth, and she duly does.
Hole three (par 4): Par for Ko after a long putt for birdie pulls up short. Webb has joined her in the lead at 10-under. Shin, Kang and Nomura are all one shot back.
Hole two (par 4): Ko reaches the green in two, then grabs her second birdie of the day to move into the outright lead at 10-under.
Hole one (par 5): Ko birdies it for the fourth time this tournament, after reaching the green in three shots. Playing partner Shin runs into trouble in the form of a bunker, and can only manage a bogey.
– Stuff
Lydia Ko one shot off lead with two holes remaining in Australian Open
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