Ko out to defend her four-shot lead

• Author: GOLFGOLF
• Published date: 08 November 2021
• Publication title: Whanganui Chronicle

Ko carded five birdies on both the front and back nine at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club on Saturday to lead by four ahead of the final round in the Ladies European Tour event.

Sitting at 16-under, the 24-year-old was aiming to hold off a final-day push from Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul, whose third-round 65 propelled her into lone second.

England’s Alice Hewson sat two further back on 10-under, with Spaniards Carlota Ciganda and Nuria Iturrioz both on nine-under.

“I played really solid today,” said Ko, who tied Australian Steph Kyriacou’s record low round at Royal Greens. “I missed a short putt for par on three and then went on a stretch of birdies.

“I gave myself a lot of good looks for birdie opportunities and I was rolling it well, so it was a good combination of everything, where I wasn’t making many mistakes.

“It was...