KAWAGOE, Japan -- Nelly Korda had to work for pars instead of making birdies look routine, and the 23-year-old American did well enough to keep her distance in pursuit of an Olympic golf medal.
Korda saved par with a 5-foot putt on the 17th hole and then got up-and-down from behind the 18th with a nifty pitch to 4 feet to finish with 12 straight pars for a 2-under 69.
She had a three-shot lead over Aditi Ashok of India, who is nearly last in the 60-player field in driving distance and near the top in sheer determination.