US Women's Open Golf 2016: Saturday Leaderboard Scores and LPGA Highlights

Drama won't be in short supply Sunday at CordeValle Golf Club in San Martin, California, for the 2016 U.S. Women's Open.

Lydia Ko leads through 54 holes at seven under par. Her advantage is far from safe, though. Five golfers will head into the final round within three shots of the lead:

Pos.	Golfer	Total Score	Round 3 Score
1	Lydia Ko	-7	-2
T2	Eun-Hee Ji	-6	-2
T2	Sung Hyun Park	-6	+2
T4	Brittany Lang	-5	-4
T4	Amy Yang	-5	+1
6	Angela Stanford	-4	-1
7	Danielle Kang	-3	+1
T8	Stacy Lewis	-2	-3
T8	Ariya Jutanugarn	-2	-3
T8	Kris Tamulis	-2	-1
T8	Gaby Lopez	-2	-1
T8	Cristie Kerr	-2	E
T8	Haru Nomura	-2	+3
T8	Mirim Lee	-2	+4

Ko grabbed sole possession of first place with a birdie on No. 18. The USGA shared her approach and birdie putt on the final hole Saturday:

According to Golfweek's Beth Ann Nichols, a lucky fan walked away with a souvenir:

Ko had a hard time getting onto the green Saturday, reaching only 10 in regulation, but she was excellent with the putter in her hands. She needed just 25 putts over the course of the third round, none better than her birdie putt on No. 14.

The USGA provided a second look at the putt:

Eun-Hee Ji and Sung Hyun Park are tied for second at six under.

Ji was steady throughout the third round, reaching 12 of 14 fairways off the tee and 13 of 18 greens in regulation. Consistency has been the key for the 30-year-old South Korean, who has posted single-round scores of 69, 71 and 70 throughout the tournament.

Park, on the other hand, endured her worst day of the 2016 U.S. Women's Open. She slipped out of the top spot, which she occupied through 36 holes, after shooting a two-over 74.

Park was gaining ground on the front nine before she double-bogeyed the ninth hole.

As Golf Channel's Randall Mell noted, that opened the door for the field to catch up:

The 33-year-old hasn't fallen out of the title hunt as a result of her poor Saturday, but she let an opportunity to strengthen her grip atop the leaderboard slip away.

Nobody did more to vault into contention than Brittany Lang. She began the third round in a tie for 20th, but she finished the day with a share of fourth place. Her four-under 68 was also the lowest score of the round.

Lang began her day well, carding three birdies on the front nine. She lost ground with a bogey on No. 13 but rebounded with back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th holes.

The USGA shared a replay of her birdie putt on No. 14:

The 30-year-old was strong in every facet of the game. She averaged 248 yards off the tee—her highest mark of the tournament—and also tied personal bests at the U.S. Women's Open by hitting 12 greens in regulation and needing only 26 putts.

Despite Lang's progress, Ko will be the smart bet to come out on top in San Martin. At only 19 years old, she already has two major tournament wins and finished second at the 2016 Women's PGA Championship in June.

Granted, Ko can't afford to falter Sunday. With the top of the standings tightly packed, it won't take much for a challenger to overtake her and stake a claim for first.

Post-Round Reaction

Ko isn't intimidated by the big stage.

"I go party all night and then go straight to the course," she said when asked about her usual preparations before the last day of a major tournament, per Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Ko added she won't be concerned with the rest of the field Sunday, per Ron Sirak of Golf Digest.

"You just never know what's going to happen," she said. "All I can do is focus on the shot I have in front of me, try my best at what I'm going to do. What somebody else does is definitely out of my hands. It's hard enough trying to control where my ball ends up. I'm just going to enjoy it."

Lang plans on taking a similar approach to the final round.

"I've been here before, and I think you really have to just get to work on what you're doing, because if you spend a lot of time thinking about where you're going to finish, you're going to drop down pretty quick," she said, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).

Note: Stats are courtesy of LPGA.com.