NORTON — Haeran Ryu dominated Round 2 of the FM Championship on Friday at TPC Boston. And while the South Korean golfer is still in a fine spot, she is no longer is at the top after being 13-under to begin the day.
Jin Young Ko — who shot 5-under on the day and is now 11-under for the tournament going into the final round Sunday — is now atop the leaderboard.
“I played good golf, and I had really great finish, birdie No. 17 and 18,” Ko said after her round. “I just wanted to play good golf this week. … I’m trying to be very (a) competitive person. That’s why if I like get in the (lead), I think it’s good motivate to me.”
She has some close competition, though, including American golfer Lauren Coughlin, who finished the day 3-under and is 9-under through three rounds. She’s in sole possession of second place.
Three golfers are tied for third — Carlota Ciganda, Allisen Corpuz and Jeeno Thitikul — who are all 8-under. Ryu shot 6-over for the day, including two double-bogeys on the front nine. Her and Alexandra Forsterling are tied for seventh place at 7-under with Ruixin Liu and Yealimi Noh tied for eighth at 6-under.
Liu finished strong after she just made the cut with a 2-over at the end of two rounds.
“I feel like I’m playing kind of crazy today because starting with two birdies off the gate,” she said after her round on Saturday. “I didn’t have any expectation today because (I) barely made the cut, especially with 18-yards putt on 17 and a four-yards putt on 18 to make the putt.”
Rockland’s Megan Khang finished 1-under for the day and is now 4-under for the tournament going into the final day.
“I’ve been very happy with how I’ve been striking the ball this week,” she said Saturday. “Greens are a little tricky to read. Leaving them short dead in line definitely hurts a lot. But at the end of the day, I’m very happy. Gives me the confidence I’m reading these greens well. (I’m) just going to have to go out there and maybe be a touch more aggressive and giving my putts a chance to go by the hole.
“But just doing my game plan, hitting the ball the way I’ve been hitting it, trying not to make a double,” Khang continued, “and if I do happen to make a mistake, minimize to a bogey.”
It’s still possible for Khang to emerge victorious. But regardless of what happens Sunday, the 26-year-old is just happy to be playing in the inaugural tournament.
“(I’m) just going to go out there, have fun, and I know win or lose, I’m very proud of this tournament and how I’ve been playing this week,” she said. “I’m very happy about what’s to come in the future.”
Speaking of the future, the 2024 Solheim Cup is fast approaching and Team USA was well-represented in Round 3 with eight of the 12 players making the cut.
Allisen Corpuz: She’s three shots off the lead after going 5-under for the day. Corpuz is now 8-under for tournament.
“It was really solid out there today. Kind of a slow start,” she said. “Feel like didn’t really make a birdie until No. 7. Actually made a pretty long putt there.But overall played really solid, made some really, really good up and downs for par. Really happy with how I played today.”
Lauren Coughlin: She stands alone in second place after a dominant third round. Coughlin shot 3-under for the day, and is now 9-under after Round 3. She’s also the only player in the FM Championship to shoot all three rounds in the 60s.
“It’s always a good thing when you can shoot under par and always a good thing when you can shoot in the 60s,” she said. “I think what I’ve been doing really well is shoot consistently good scores. Nothing super crazy low or anything, but just super consistent.”
Andrea Lee, Jennifer Kupcho, Sarah Schmelzel, Megan Khang, Lexi Thompson: All five golfers are tied for 13th. Lee shot 3-under for the day and is now 4-under for the tournament. Kupcho shot 6-under on Saturday and will be 4-under going into Sunday. Schmelzel was even par, and 4-under through three rounds. Thompson was 1-under for the day, and 4-under for tournament, while Khang mirrored her partner’s score.
Rose Zhang: She’s tied for 34th after shooting 3-under for the day. Zhang 1-under for the tournament.
The final round begins Sunday.
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