India's Ashok slams super 61 to put one hand on Asian Games gold / Photo: Philip FONG - AFP
India's Ashok slams super 61 to put one hand on Asian Games gold
India's Aditi Ashok has one hand on a women's golf Asian Games gold after a blistering round of 11-under 61 on Saturday as world number two Yin Ruoning fell out of contention with a 74.
In the men's tournament in Hangzhou, Hong Kong's Taichi Kho, who was 18-under par after opening rounds of 62 and 60, saw his six-shot lead whittled back to three after a 70.
Ashok moved to 22-under for the tournament and has a seven-shot cushion over Thailand's Arpichaya Yubol, who is 15-under after a third-round 69.
The world number 47 Ashok, who agonisingly missed a medal at the Tokyo Olympics by one stroke, carded nine birdies and an eagle two, spectacularly holing her approach shot at the par-four ninth.
But the top-ranked player in the field, China's Yin, slumped to a two-over par round and gold looks a forlorn hope for the US PGA Champion.
She tumbled down the leaderboard into a tie for ninth, a massive 13 shots behind runaway leader Ashok.
Instead it was world number 13 Lin Xiyu who looks likely to get on the podium on home soil, after her third-round 68 took her to 14-under and into bronze medal position with one round to play.
She has a three-shot buffer to Japanese amateur Saki Baba, who is in fourth place on 11-under after a 68.
In the men's, rookie pro Kho moved to 24-under par and still in a strong position.
But Hung Chien-yao's 67 halved the deficit with a round containing six birdies and just one dropped shot for the Taiwanese player, at the par-three seventh.
South Korean amateur Jang Yu-bin is in bronze position on 20-under after a 68 with his US PGA Tour star teammate Im Sung-jae lurking ominously one-stroke back in fourth after a 66.
Im, the world number 27, moved to 19-under but could have really turned the screws and was heading for a round of 64 until a double-bogey at the last saw him slip out of the top three.
M.Ferraro--MJ
