Aditi Ashok shoots season best round of 65, rises to fifth in Portland

Portland (Oregon), Aug 17 (PTI) Aditi Ashok sunk in seven birdies to produce her best round of the season -- a card of 65-- that carried her into the top-5 after the third round of The Standard Portland Classic on the LPGA Tour, here.

Aditi, who had played only 12 events on the Tour before this week, has had only one top-10 this season -- a Tied-9th position at Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba.

Starting birdie-birdie on the first two, she added three in a row from the sixth to the eighth. Then came another back-to-back birdie pair on the 13th and he 14th for a 7-under 65 after 69-70 on the first two days.

Gurleen Kaur (65-68-70) at 13-under was fourth and Savannah Grewal (69-67-72) was 8-under and T-25.

Japan’s Akie Iwai of Japan eagled the fifth hole and picked birdies on other three par 5s at Columbia Edgewater, during a round of 8-under 64 to take a two-stroke lead.

Iwai is trying to join twin sister Chisato as an LPGA Tour winner this year after second-place finishes in Thailand in February and Los Angeles in April.

Grace Kim of Australia was second after a 67. She holed a 156-yard shot for eagle from the left rough on the par-4 17th. She was 16-under and two off the lead.

Sweden's Linn Grant was 14 under after a 65.

Gurleen shot 70 to get to 13 under and India’s Aditi Ashok (65) at 12-under was another stroke back with Gina Kim (67).

Iwai, the winner in Mexico at Mayakoba in May, was in the group at 11 under after a 66. She also eagled the fifth hole.

Second-round leader Jeongeun Lee5 also was 10 under. She shot 74. PTI Corr AT AT AT