MELBOURNE, February 11, 2012 (AFP) - American teenager Jessica Korda held a one-stroke lead after the third round of the Women's Australian Open at Royal Melbourne on Saturday.
The 18-year-old rookie, daughter of former tennis champion Petr Korda, fired par-73 in windy conditions to lead South Koreans Ryu So-Yeon and Seo Hee-Kyung, and Australian Nikki Campbell heading into Sunday's final round.
Korda, ranked 285, carded three birdies matched by three bogeys, to vault to the top of the leader board.
"My dad was world number two and I told him I want to beat that," Korda said of her Czech tennis-playing father, who won the Australian Open tennis crown in 1998.
"I started well but as things started going on and on, I started feeling shaky as the wind gusted towards the end of the day. I finished pretty strong and kept at level par," she said.
"I saw a couple of leader boards but honestly I was trying to work out everything. The wind was picking up and coming back down. I had to back off a lot of shots."
Korda said her father played golf but "he caddied for me (on the LPGA Tour) last year and was so sick of golf at the end of it that the only time we got him out was in December once or twice."
Korda said she was unfazed by leading the tournament at the age of 18.
"It feels like any other day, honestly. Don't get me wrong, it feels really good but I have one more day left," she said.
Overnight leader Ryu lost ground with a three-over 76 in a round of three birdies and six bogeys, while compatriot Seo had a 75.
Campbell had the day's best round of three-under 70, while world number one and defending champion Yani Tseng of Taiwan shot 71 to be two off the pace.
Fifteen players were within five strokes of the lead heading into the final 18 holes.