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Shootin Lights Out at the Corning Classic

by Jeff Skinner

******5:00pm Update at The Classic*******

The storms that were supposed to hit Corning this afternoon have held off long enough to let a pair of ladies go super low and share the overnight lead at the Corning Classic.  Soo-Yun Kang, from South Korea, matched the tournament record with a ten under par and Mika Miyazato, from Japan, shot seven under to tie at seventeen under.  Miyazato carded eight birds and an eagle on her way to her best score ever.  “I was so excited today.  My best score today.  My second hole, I made eagle.  First time in an LPGA tournament I’ve made eagle.”  She is in her rookie year on tour and this is her personal best at any level.  Soo-Yun Kang had five straight birdies on holes two through six, an eagle on fourteen and could have been two clear of the field if she hadn’t stumbled with bogeys on fifteen and seventeen. She made a world class recovery for par on sixteen, getting it up and down off a tree root and over a greenside bunker.  Kang said,”I make almost every putt today….I’m feeling so good.  I keep going for tomorrow and my plan is just to focus on my game.” Both ladies said they were looking forward to tomorrow and excited to be in a position to try for the win.

 

 

*****3:15 Update on Yani Tseng******

 

Yani Tseng shot a front nine 28, which ties an LPGA record, on her way to a ten under par 62 and she has the lead in the clubhouse.  That score also ties the Corning Classic eighteen hole score.  She had two eagles, seven birdies and a lone bogey on the seventeenth, where she pushed her driver right and thought it may have been out of bounds.  She was thrilled with her day, “I played awesome today, and I had so much fun playing with Natalie, and we enjoyed our talk.”  She said she didn’t…”feel like I shot 10 under.  I was just going to go out and having fun, and I make a bunch of putts.”  Tseng was very pleased with her game, especially her putting.  She recently changed her pre-shot routine. “I changed a little bit my preshot routine in these last two weeks.  I just figured out on the putting green which way is better for me.  So I just feel like I’m practiced and don’t try too hard, and my key point is rolling the ball well.”  After her front nine she knew she was in the middle of something special.  When asked if she thought about 59 she was giddy. ”Oh I did. I did. Yeah.  On the back nine, I just couldn’t hit a ball.  My body just didn’t match my brain.  I said OK, be patient.  Slow down.  And my body just goes so fast.  I’m very happy I birdied the last hole.”  If she can keep her cool and her body from “going so fast” tomorrow, she could be taking home the final Corning Classic trophy.

 

******2:15pm Update on Vicky Hurst******

Vicky Hurst shot a personal best, 63 in today’s third round.  She had ten birdies and only one bogey which came at eighteen.  She said she was trying to stay focused and “not look at the leader board.   My stroke today was smooth and silky.”  She said she was very focused up to the eighteenth.  She hit an iron off the tee and pulled it and was unable to get on the green in regulation.  She said she “got caught up in the moment.”  I asked if it was at that time that she thought about her score and she confessed,” A little bit. You know it’s so hard not to…it’s easy to think about that I was thinking about hitting the shot, and not just hitting the shot.  Hurst said she was having plenty of fun and that “It’s always fun to shoot low.”  When asked if she got good yardages from her caddy today she laughed.  “I always get good yardages from my caddy.  She’ll be on the bag tomorrow.”  Vicky’s caddy is her mom, Koko.

 

Early in the third round of the LPGA Corning Classic the ladies are shooting lights out and tearing up the course at the Corning Country Club. South Korean Eunjung Yi had three eagles on her front for a LPGA record. The leader Yani Tseng and rookie Vicky Hurst are currently at nine under for the day. Tseng holds a one stroke lead over Karine Icher, who has just teed off and Hurst. If Hurst can hang on, this would be the highest finish for her this season. Corning’s Sweetheart, Paula Creamer sits in fourth place and six under for her round. Tseng scored eagles on two and five, and birdies on four, seven, eight, nine and twelve, to get to nine under. The weather is perfect now, but they are calling for showers and possible hail later this afternoon. That could make these early low rounds tough to match later today.

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