When asked if she believed that everyone would be chasing her on Saturday night before the tournament, Wang answered candidly: yes.
Wang looked every part of a seasoned veteran, firing a stellar 7-under-par 65 in the third round of the FM Championship at TPC Boston. The 26-year old from Tianjin, China, carded seven birdies, including every par 5, in her bogey-free round.
“This is where all the players want to be, so it’s definitely special going into the final round being the sole leader,” said Wang, who couldn’t hide the smile from her face after her round. “This is what we try to do every week, so I’m just happy that I did my job really well. I hope to continue doing what I did today.”
Wang’s signature shot of the afternoon occurred on the 505-yard, par-5 seventh hole. She reached the green in regulation, yet found herself practically putting from Rhode Island at the top left part of the green with the pin nestled neatly in the bottom right corner.
Wang clocked a left-to-right putt that cascaded so far that at one point, neither her body nor the pin were in the camera’s frame. About six seconds later, the ball dropped into the center of the cup.
Nonchalantly, Wang walked across the green, grinning from ear to ear. Her demeanor might have been cool as a cucumber, yet the smile revealed all, as she brimmed with confidence.
“Ever since I had a really hot back nine in the first round, my putting has been clicking,” said Wang. “I was getting the speed and line really well and I made a super long putt on No. 7 today, and that gave me even more confidence. I know that I’m doing well on these greens, so when putting, I’m more confident and comfortable.”
The proof is in the pudding.
Ten one-putts aided just 24 total putts on the day, tied with Minami Katsu, Soo Bin Joo, and Celine Borge for the fewest in the field. Through three rounds, Wang owns the fewest putts with 77.
The FM Championship marks the second time that Wang tees off in the final group in her young professional career. At the Mexico Riviera Maya Open, she crashed down the leaderboard after shooting a 4-over-par 76, tumbling to a tie for 26th. Adjustments are in order for the second go-round.
“And of course, the first time was — I got too excited,” she said.
After all, what’s better than golfing with friends?
The first two rounds of the week, Wang played with Joo, her friend. During moving day, she played alongside her close friend Rose Zhang. The duo will reunite for Sunday’s final round after Zhang posted a 5-under-par 67, tied for second with Kim.
“Playing with friends makes me feel more comfortable,” said Wang. “Definitely, that’s a big help.”
Wang and Zhang have not played together competitively. They live near one another in the greater Las Vegas area and have been close since junior golf.
“We always want to play together, have fun or eat together, but it’s a lot of travel for us,” said Zhang. “We really haven’t been very much in Vegas, so I’m happy we get to play together out here this week.”
The top-ranked player in the world, Jeeno Thitikul, is lurking, tied for third at 14 under, alongside Andrea Lee.
Thitikul, a mainstay at the top with nine top-10 finishes in 15 starts this season, refuses to scoreboard-watch. She prefers to tune everything else out and take it one shot at a time, hole by hole.
“I know I can’t control anything else more than myself, more than my swing, and then more than my stroke,” she said.
Lee persevered through 32 grueling holes on the day, concluding her second round Saturday morning. On a day that almost mirrored a US Open qualifier, Lee described her afternoon as making it through.
She hit all 14 fairways and 17 of 18 greens in regulation, notching a bogey-free, 6-under-par 66. How’s that for running on fumes?
“I still feel the adrenaline rush from when I’m out there, so I think that was the only thing keeping me going for the entire third round,” said Lee.
Lee described her evening plans as enjoying dinner and getting into bed as fast as humanly possible for some well-earned rest.
It all comes down to Sunday’s final round, when the leaders put the ball in the air at 1:50 p.m.
Cam Kerry can be reached at cam.kerry@globe.com.
