Thus far, playing at home is all that Gerina Piller could hope for.
The 31-year-old Piller, who lives 20 miles away in Plano, played bogey free for the second straight day, shooting a 4-under-par 67 to take a two-stroke lead over South Koreans Amy Yang and Mi
Jung Hur after three rounds of the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout at Las Colinas Country Club in Irving, Texas.
After making a bogey on her first hole of the tournament, Piller has been nearly flawless by playing bogey free for 53 holes and hitting 52 of 54 greens in regulation while posting a score of 14-under 199.
“I felt like I gave myself opportunities,” who made a huge eight-foot par putt to help the United States win the Solheim Cup last year. “Had some great shots, just couldn’t get some putts to fall. These greens are pretty tricky and they have a lot of slope to them so you definitely have to give them respect. But I don’t feel like I kind of like barely got by with eight pars, I felt like I could have been a lot lower. So definitely a lot of confidence going into tomorrow.
” … I left a ton of tickets at will call for friends and family and it’s been awesome to see faces. I played high school golf with some of the guys that came out. People that I met UTEP El Paso that I played golf with, they’re out here. Family, people that don’t know anything about golf but they just want to support me, so it’s really cool to have them all out here and being loud and obnoxious.”
Piller, who is winless in 123 career starts on the LPGA Tour career, made four birdies in the first 10 holes of the third round before closing with eight consecutive pars.
Yang, who has won twice on the LPGA Tour among her six pro victories, carded a bogey-free 65 that equaled the low round of the day, and Hur also was bogey free in a 66.
“I hit it very solid out there and I made some putts,” said Yang, who is No. 9 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings and is battling several others for a spot on South Korea’s Olympioc team. “I left some putts short right in the heart, but I had bogey free round 6-under, can’t be frustrated about it. So I’m happy, yeah.
“Playing golf in the Olympics, I would be very honored to represent my country, represent South Korea. Yeah, it’s tough competition between like all the players. I’ll just keep trying.”
Jenny Shin of South Korea had another bogey-free 65 and was four shots back in a tie for fourth with another South Korean, Sei Young Kim, who also did not make a bogey in a 68.
Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand recorded a 69 and was another stroke behind in a tie for sixth with yet another South Korean, Eun-Hee Ji, who had a 71.
Shanshan Feng of China posted a 65 and was seven shots down in a tie for eighth with Catriona Matthew of Scotland, who came in at 68.
