Charley Hull’s Olympic third-round collapse leaves the Brit in 5th spot. six shots back from leader Inbee Park
Charley Hull’s Olympic third round 74 leaves her off the pace at the end of the penultimate day of the Rio Olympics women’s golf tournament.
Hull lies in a three-way tie in 5th place, six shots off the leader, South Korea’s Inbee Park. Park leads the field by two shots after shooting 70.
Hull’s Olympic third round scorecard contained only seven pars as she mixed the good with the bad throughout the day, with only a dash of the mundane.
Examples of the bad were the number of bunkers she found herself in during the round; a missed short putt on 13 which was on barely nodding terms with the hole as it went by; and her 60-yard approach on the short par-4 16th which ended nearly 30 yards beyond the flag.
Another whose medal challenge unravelled was American Stacy Lewis. She had started the day in second, but ended it tied in 8th after a three-over-par outward nine was followed by two birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey on the inward one.
Lydia Ko surged up the leaderboard courtesy of her front nine 29, before making nine straight pars on the back nine. The highlight of her front nine was a hole in one on the 8th, which Lin Xiyu of China had also aced earlier in the day.
Justin Rose shot the first hole in one in Olympic history on the first day of the men’s competition, and now there have been four holes-in-one in the Olympics.
Ko, 19 years old, had never had a hole in one before, even in a practice round or social game.
Ko, who had been favourite for the Olympic women's golf tournament, had started the third round back in 22nd after rounds of 69 and 70, but now lies tied in second with American Gerina Pillar.
Pillar has been consistent throughout the tournament thus far with rounds of 69, 67 and 68.
Shanshan Feng lies 4th after her 68.
Only 59 golfers go into the final day after Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn withdrew after 13 holes because of a knee injury. She was the first-round leader after a six-under 65. But today she struggled because of her injury and was12 over for her 13 holes today
Britain’s Catriona Matthew had a disappointing day, shooting 77, and has slipped to T26.
Her round contained only one birdie, on thej11th,, which had taken her to one over for the round. But she followed it up with a triple bogey on the next hole.
