LOS ANGELES – Akie Iwai played an 8-under 64 along with twin sisters to win the third round lead at the JM Eagle LA Championship with Lauren Coughlin and Ingrid Lindblad.
Cofflin made a 5-foot birdie putt in par 4 at 66, 18th place, and Lindblad took a two-round lead with Ashleeve High after a career-high 63 – shooting 68 to match Iwaso at the El Cacarero Country Club’s 17-under 199.
Top Rank Nelly Korda is back with three strokes after closing a three-put bogey before the title defense at Houston at next week’s Chevron Championship.
Iwai, the 22-year-old Japanese player in his first season on the LPGA Tour, stopped the Eagle’s 60-yard wedge shot on a par 5 and scored six birdies in the bogey-free round.
“I want to win the tournament,” the six-time winner of the JLPGA Tour said. “I want to win at least one tournament this year.”
Twin sister Chizatoiwa was tied up to 12th place at 11 after 70. The sisters won an LPGA Tour card at the qualifying tournament last year.
Akie didn’t think it was an advantage or disadvantage to playing with her sister.
“It’s just another player, your opponent, so you don’t change your mind,” she said.
After barely entering the 60s in the last two days, at temperatures in the mid-70s, Coughlin birded the first three holes and four of the first five. She swings the next 10 holes and birds two of the last three.
“It’s always really good because you only have one bogey for the first three days,” Cofflin said. “I made a really good par save today and lost it there for a while in the middle of the round, when I didn’t, but I was able to stabilize it and continue there for the end.”
The 32-year-old Virginia won the CPKC Women’s Open and the Women’s Scotland Open last year with her first LPGA Tour victory.
Lindblad had four back nine birdies. The 25-year-old former LSU star from Sweden is in his first season of the tour.
“I just like to stay a little bit in my bubble and don’t like to go ahead of me,” Lindblad said. “Obviously, the goal is to win, but tomorrow we can’t win tonight or the first teebox.
Another LPGA Tour rookie, Ina Yoon, was fourth in 15 after age 64.
Korda shot a 67 and went 14 under. She had an eagle – hitting 2 feet in par 5 16th place – four birdies on a back nine charge muted by two bogeys.
“Obviously I’m a little upset by the final putt in the last hole,” Korda said. “That’s a real shame. Besides that, I hit some really solid shots. I made some good putts as well, but unfortunately I didn’t make the last one. It stinks!”
Wilshire Country Club’s 2021 winner Minjee Lee was also under the age of 14 along with Rio Takeda. Lee shot 70 and Takada had a Jeeno Thitikul ranked 64.
Two-time defending champion Hanna Green was 11 years old, 69 years old.
Bound to the lead after each of the first two rounds, Buhai fought through the sprain MCL in his left knee and shot a 77. She fell to 39th place with an 8 under.
The tournament is the final event of the tour’s west coast swing. It is being held at El Caballero for renovations in Wilshire and is set to return to Wilshire next season.