Lydia Ko isn’t fazed by the weather, climbs leaderboard

Lydia Ko’s post-round routine has been consistently simple the last three days. She hits a couple of putts, and then sits in front of an air conditioner.

With the humidity in Singapore, it’s all she can do to stay physically sharp in between rounds. And with Saturday’s nearly two-hour weather delay, staying sharp was key for her 5-under-par performance.

“I don't mind the overcast and drizzly, because I know how hot Singapore can get. Because of the heat we had last week, sprinkling I little bit, I don't mind at all. It kind of reminds me of weather back in New Zealand a little bit, so that's never a bad thing,” explained Ko, who sits at -12 for the week. “Obviously we had the delay but we've been pretty fortunate so far for it not being super hot.”

Ko will be in the final group Sunday with leader Michelle Wie and South Korea’s Sung Hyun Park. The World No.1 admitted she doesn’t mind where she plays as she’s just going to do her best to track down the leader.

“The girls are playing really good and it seems like there's a lot of birdies spread amongst all of us,” said Ko. “I think it's going to be a putting game tomorrow and somebody that putts really consistently well, I think is going to have the best opportunity to hold the trophy at the end of tomorrow.”

Shanshan Feng credits consistency

After a bogey-free 69 Saturday moved Shanshan Feng into a tie for 7th, she said the key this week has been her consistency.

“Last week I started pretty well, and then I struggled on the weekend. So this week, I thought about it and I said, ‘oh, maybe I'm trying to win too badly. Maybe I'll just take it easy again and play my game and stick with my game plan,’” she said. “It was a bogey-free round again (today). I didn't make too many birdies, but I think the birdies will come tomorrow.”

Feng explained the golf course at the HSBC Women’s Champions fits her eye, and if she can execute on her game plan Sunday, there’s a chance for a low round.

“This golf course is set up for a lot of birdie chances, even eagle chances. I mean, if I bring my A Game, I might be able to shoot a pretty low score,” she said. “I have Plan A, Plan B, Plan C. Plan A is try to knock them close and give myself birdie chances and then try to make birdies. Plan B is knock it closer to the hole, and then tap-ins. Of course I can make those. Then Plan C is when I can't putt and I can't hit it close, then Plan C is to try to chip them in. So I'll see tomorrow which plan I'm using.”

Paula Creamer stays steady, feels good about her progress

Although Paula Creamer hasn’t had a really low round so far at the HSBC Women’s Champions, the 2014 champion is happy where she’s at both on the leaderboard (T11) and with her progress.

Creamer made four birdies offset by two bogeys Saturday, for a two-under-par 70.

“I made a couple errors, that's for sure. I did make a couple good birdies down the stretch, and this golf course, you've got to stay in it as long as you can,” she said, crediting her short game for helping keep her in it during Saturday’s delayed third round. “I had a couple errant tee shots that didn't really set up well for me and ended up making bogeys there.”

She said it’s nice to see how much her hard off-season work is paying off, and has mentally got herself in a better state than in the past.

“I'm thinking a lot; it's not like I'm just out there playing, but I'm putting pressure on myself. But at the same time, I'm not sitting there really analyzing everything. I can do that at the range afterwards. I'm not going to hit every shot perfect, and I really tried to give myself more room for error instead of trying to be so precise,” explained Creamer. “I think that kind of happens when you struggle for awhile. You start to get really in a little cloud there, and I was trying to step away from that. I think that's what's helped me is when I do get into trouble.”

Like the leader, Michelle Wie, Creamer is also looking for her first win since the 2014 season.

Amy Yang ties tournament-low score Saturday

South Korea’s Amy Yang fired a 6-under-par 66 Saturday to tie for the low round of the tournament with So Yeon Ryu, Jennifer Song, and Lexi Thompson (who all shot -6 in the third round of the HSBC Women’s Champions) and move into the top 10.

Yang credits her putting as the reason for her eight-birdie barrage on moving day at the Tanjong Course at Sentosa Golf Club.

“My shots have been nice from last week, same with Thursday and Friday. I just couldn’t make any putts,” she said. “But today, I made a bunch of birdies out there. It was good.”

Yang started on the back nine and bogeyed her opening hole of the day (No.10). But, she made three-straight birdies on No’s 15-17, followed by back-to-back birdies on No’s 1 and 2. She made three-in-a-row again on No’s 5-7.

“That didn’t feel good, starting with bogey,” she admitted. “But you know, you always try to be positive out there, and stay patient. I think it worked out.”

Yang captured the Honda LPGA Thailand a few weeks ago, and sits third in the Race to the CME Globe.

Ko isn’t fazed by the weather, Feng credits consistency

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