Bizarre was the word Yu Liu used to describe her third round in the DIO Implant LA Open. A Friday saw the 26-year-old card six birdies and three bogeys en route to a 3-under 68 that has her sitting in a tie for sixth. In her first two holes, Liu snap-hooked both of her drives, an omen that would make even the steeliest of players worry. But Yu battled her way back to red numbers and finds herself just four shots back heading into the weekend in LA.

“My game did not feel solid at all in comparison to yesterday because yesterday I hit a lot of greens and fairways, but today I just started off really shaky in that wind,” said Liu who hit 11 of 18 greens and 10 of 14 fairways on day two. “I snap-hooked the first two drives, and that really got me. But I was able to stay within myself and just stay present. I think that mentality helped me get through the round today.”

Liu’s best finish so far this season is a tie for 33rd at the Honda LPGA Thailand and Friday’s 68 marks just her third round in the 60s in eight starts in 2022. She said she began making swing changes after last year’s season-ending CME Group Tour Championship and though there are plenty of kinks that still need to be worked out, she’s feeling good about where she’s at. With two rounds left to play, she’s happy to have a shot at Wilshire Country Club on the weekend especially considering she’s only made one cut in her three previous appearances in Los Angeles.

“It's still going to take a bit for me to sink everything in because, to be honest, I've never really done well here at Wilshire,” she said. “This is my fourth year playing here and I've only made one cut. First of all, I'm really glad to be playing this weekend, playing at this amazing venue because it's a really good test for us players. I've done something to be where I am right now, so I'm going to take advantage of those things that I've done well and go to the range and try to figure out a little bit about my swing. A lot of work needs to be done, a lot of calibration.”

Yu Liu Fights Off Early Snap-Hooks En Route to 68

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