Lydia Ko finished the 2014 LPGA season with a win, and if she bookends it on Saturday with a victory to start 2015, she'll become the No. 1 player in the world.
The 17-year-old Kiwi made five consecutive birdies on the back nine and nine altogether on Friday at Golden Ocala G&EC to take a one-shot lead over Ha Na Jang heading into the final round of the inaugural Coates Golf Championship in Ocala, Fla. The third-round 65 ties the low round of the week with Amy Yang.
Ko came out guns blazing on Friday, making four birdies on her opening nine. However, a pair of short par misses on the 10th and 11th holes set her four back of Jang. It also spurred her on to the birdie streak that gave her the outright lead.
“It kind of got me fired up," Ko said. "I kind of jammed my putter in my bag, and I said, `OK, you’ve got to start working again.’”
If Ko wins on Saturday and earns her sixth LPGA Tour title (fourth as a professional), she will take over the top spot in the Rolex Rankings from Inbee Park. Even if Ko doesn't win, she could take over No. 1 if she finishes alone in second place and Park, who is 11 shots back of Ko's lead, finishes no better than a three-way tie for third place.
The accomplishment would be another in a string of mind-blowing efforts from Ko. At 15, she became the youngest player to win on the LPGA Tour, taking the Canadian Women's Open. She defended that title a year later. Ko closed the 2014 LPGA season by winning the CME Group Tour Championship and its $500,000 first-place prize, as well the inaugural Race to the CME Globe and its $1,000,000 payoff. Taking over the top spot in the world seems a natural progression.
After her Friday 65, Ko took care to at least publicly temper expectations of a Saturday coronation.
“There are so many great players, one to four shots, you just never know what's going to happen,” she said. “I'm just going to concentrate on my game, just stay really positive, and if somebody else shoots a much better score than I do, I can't really do much about it. Just going to focus, and, hopefully, I'll go out and shoot a good score tomorrow.”
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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