RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup
Wildfire Golf Club at JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa
Phoenix, Ariz.
Third-round notes and interviews
March 17, 2012
Yani Tseng -14, Rolex Rankings No. 1
Ai Miyazato -14, Rolex Rankings No. 9
Suzann Pettersen -9, Rolex Rankings No. 3
Cristie Kerr -9, Rolex Rankings No. 4
Karrie Webb -9, Rolex Rankings No. 19
Caroline Hedwall -8, Rolex Rankings No. 32
Rolex Rankings No. 1 Yani Tseng and No. 9 Ai Miyazato are tied for the lead at 14-under-par after 54 holes at the 2012 RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup. Tseng, who was the second-round leader, shot a 5-under 67 on Saturday at Wildfire Golf Club while Miyazato recorded a bogey-free 6-under 66 to move into a tie for the lead. The pair will head into the final round leading by one shot over Rolex Rankings No. 2 Na Yeon Choi.
Friendly Foes: Co-leaders Ai Miyazato and Yani Tseng are entering familiar territory heading into tomorrow’s final round. The duo have become quite accustomed to playing together in the final group as they were previously paired alongside one another during the final round of the Honda LPGA Thailand 2012.
Miyazato went into the final round of the Honda LPGA Thailand 2012 with a one stroke lead over Tseng but Tseng prevailed to notch her 12th LPGA Tour victory.
While Tseng is known for her strength and aggressive style on the golf course, Miyazato has become infamous for her smooth tempo. The duo’s games might be opposite but during Saturday’s post-round interviews both players acknowledged their excitement for tomorrow’s pairing.
“It’s always fun to play with her,” said Miyazato. “I know her really well and I think we like to play each other. I mean I like to play with Yani, I don’t know about her, but you know, we are totally different types of player. But it’s very inspiring to play with her, so I’m very excited to play with her tomorrow.”
“She’s such a nice great people, great player and you can always learn something from her when you play with her,” said Tseng. “She always smiles when she plays doesn’t matter if she hit a bad shots, it’s like, oh, it’s not a big deal. She always plays so well, and when you play with her, I mean we talk a lot. We just talk everything, not on the golf course, outside of golf course. And it’s just so much fun to play with her.”
Adding to her resume? Yani Tseng will be seeking her 14th career LPGA Tour victory when she tees off on Sunday for the final round of the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup. But holding a lead entering the final round hasn’t necessarily equated to victory for Tseng throughout her career.
Tseng has led or co-led 10 times heading into the final round of a tournament and only five times she has gone on to win the event. But that number is deceptive. She went 0 for 4 to start her career in 2008 and 2009, but since then she’s 5 for 6, her only loss coming at last year’s Kraft Nabisco Championship.
Wind advantage: Ai Miyazato is no stranger to playing in the wind. Having grown up on the island of Okinawa in Japan, Miyazato said that she grew accustomed early in life to playing in windy conditions. So the more breezy conditions in Phoenix on Saturday didn&rsqu
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