New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko will have a four shot lead heading into the final round of the latest event on the LPGA Tour.
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Without a win for more than two years, the former world number one carded a three-under par third round on Sunday (NZ time) to reach 16-under par at the Marathon Classic in Ohio.
Ko settled after a somewhat shaky start, mixing four birdies with one bogey to extend the one-shot buffer she started the round with.
A two-time former winner at the Marathon Classic, the 23-year-old told Golf Channel she stayed positive after a sloppy first few holes with her driver .
"I just thought in my head, you know what, I feel like I'm being a little tentative through impact and it's still going wayward so I'm just going to hit it aggressively and it's not going to get much worse.
"I just continued doing that. For me, the key is just being aggressive and not worrying about where it's going to go."
Ko extended her lead despite needing mid-round treatment on her back for the second straight day.
However, the two-time major winner said that back soreness wouldn't hold her back as she pushed for her 16th LPGA Tour win.
"The big key for me is, even if it's not feeling 100 per cent, just to go out there and still hit it confidently and aggressively.
"I've just got to not worry about it. Take a few advils, [get a] good rest. Seven years on Tour, maybe that's what's happening."
Ko's last victory came at the Mediheal Championship in April, 2018.
