Nataliya Guseva 2024 LOTTE Championship Round 3

Year old from Russia, Natalya Kuzma, third shot at the first, not able to get to this power five in two, but showing us exactly why she's at the top of the leaderboard. Her wedge game has been spectacular. She was one of four players and six wins on that tour. Looking for her first on the LPGA tour as is Natalia Guseva. She tees it up at the 7th and K Cockrells there. Yeah, this hole is very good to goose over yesterday. Eagle two here starts off with a really nice drive. She's a strong ball striker. Terrific college player and now a rookie on the LPGA tour as is Guseva and here she is at the 7th. 27 yards ahead of me. Just a little 3 quarter wedge. Like I said, made it Eagle two here, which really propelled her forward in this tournament. Four way tied the top when the round began. He got Guseva leading by one here. So. Catching a little bit of a, I mean, getting more spin on that than she was expecting. We mentioned she was number one on the JLPGA in scrambling last year, Yoshida. She's found getting up and down in her rookie season on the LPGA tour tour. A little more difficult. Couple of rookies in this final pair and. Big chance with them and. Really, everyone on this front page. Here's Guseva to take a two shot lead. I think it's really interesting and exciting to have two rookies in this final group and they really have had two very different seasons. You know, you'd have to say that Natalia Guseva's had a an above average season for a rookie. The four top 10s already. Including a second in Portland. Everybody wakes up really early and gets their work in and then they have all afternoon to go and enjoy what the island has to offer. The leader Guseva at the 8th. Why that was just a ideal drive. A little low bullet of a draw. No fear in that she's pulled up 5 iron. So. I can't try to land is probably 165. I mean 160 ish playing close to 175. I say I say that's probably, I mean, knowing how she hits it, that's probably. If you land if you want to think of the land is a few short, that's that's almost 20 yards of wind out there, K. Absolutely, and it's strong. It's dead into their face. Well, she struck that well. Will it carry the bunker? Oh yes, wow, that was some kind of laser. Now she's a powerful player. Classy player came off the Epson Tour last year. The rookie not playing like one. She leads by one on day three in Hawaii. Alim Kim false into the lead. Alright, here is Guseva for Birdie. And Grant, we could definitely hear the cheers over here on the 8th green. Guseva lean us way out to the left. I want to pop. How about that? Karen's judge that big break so nicely. Just the 4th birdie of the day at the 8th hole. That takes some good visualization. You know when you're reading the greens to see the ball going in at 8 o'clock on the if you're looking at an o'clock face. And here comes Guseva. Just 21 years old, she played at the University of Miami. She was. Courted by a number of American universities coming out of Moscow. She was just a teenager, 17 years old when she was picking a place to play, went. To visit down there in Coral Gables, met Patty Rizzo, the four time LPGA winner. Yes, I fell in love with the campus with the program and played two years for the Canes. Now out here with Jonathan Katzmann, who was with her last year. K on the Epson tour where she played very well and here playing well as a rookie on the LPGA tour. Yeah, they they connected towards the end of the year and in just their second event together won the Black Desert Championship. So I've stuck together since. Made it through Q school successfully. Q series I should say. You gotta get pitching wedge here. Yeah, that'll fly. What kind of flag stick right of it? Yes, we saw a limb hit the perfect shot in with a 9 iron, mostly straight down. Touch off your left. Goose of a going with pitching wedge. She's a strong ball striker. She's tall in stature. She's very strong. She's really into working out very consistent and disciplined with workout. And. In this day and age, the power game rules and she is. She is powerful player. And she also, though, what impressed me yesterday watching her. She is really good with wedges. Nice rhythm to that swing. She's pretty dialed in across the board, but especially the short clubs distance control has been good. She's trusting her clubs. And the swing is is good. I mean, there's it's technically very sound, has a really nice little shallowing movement. She's coming into the ball. Gustavo to take the lead outright. And this is. Really impressive. She hears the roar of the ace from across the water. Rolls in a curling left to right putt and then backs it up with one there at night. Let's just cook armor collected, isn't it? But it's the ball world. I think the putting. She's very hit or miss with the putting. She can be a bit streaky. Gustavo on the T at 10. Yeah, bringing that trajectory down hitting a low draw. Really good ball striker. Yoshida right behind her, yeah? Yeah, Yoshida has missed the green. What are you going right at it? What that wind taking? Gustavo has pulled out a gap wedge. She has been quite thrifty with this club. This is the club that she used to haul out at 7 yesterday and had a really nice little shot in on 14 yesterday. I just love her kind of her compact swing. There's just not much that's going to go wrong. Obviously didn't carry she wanted on on that, but nothing terribly wrong is going to happen. I don't think. Said she's learning. Scoring is little better today. Top to bottom 65 players made the cut. This is 21 year old from Moscow, the town of the accusiva long birdie putt here at the 10th this for birdie. Certainly longer than she would have expected with a gap wedge in her hand. Close to 30 feet. She gave that plenty of hit and not a gimme coming back. No, it's William Kim do that just a few minutes ago. And you're right, it's not an easy one back to back downhill. They all know it's slow and the players playing the best, you know, you know, are putting the best at the moment and. Each of them gave it a little bit too much. Especially if you're telling her who's been making a lot of parts as well. A first victory. Including Guseva. Who's got this for par at the 10th? Yesterday she displayed like Karen said, really an all around good game and it'll be interesting to see if that of all aspects of her game stay pretty strong through today and into the final round. She's certainly impressive. And I had a chance to chat with her on practice T before she started warming up and she's very talkative, very. Very interesting. And I think I think she has a lot of potential. I really do and now that was not an easy putt and she made it look second nature. Shaking her head like why did I run it so far past I making it too hard on myself here, take a. Leading by one on the T at the 11th Natalia Guseva. 250 yards to clear the bunker on left into the wind. Lower ball flight there. I was going to say I just noticed the the lovely trajectory on that shot for that into the wind on 12 boat a championships one of five in the field this week. Back at the 11th, the rookie Guseva second shot. Kushida has laid out. And massive drive right? Guseva yeah, those flags are blowing up there and two, but it's going to take a good good strong hit with this five. Would I think she has 211 to the front? This is more than enough club, but it's just a matter of how what kind of trajectory she hits. I'm thinking she's aiming probably at the left front of the green and she's aiming significantly left. This is going left. On left, that's the old double cross, but you can understand it, Karen. I mean, with that wind blowing left to right in the water on the right. But it's part five that'll be her third coming up, leading it by one on this. Third round Friday. Is no worries about the tree or the tree limbs. From ball to whole 40 paces basically. The holes 9 from the left edge, so just call it 30 to the left edge and then. And then basically 910 paces to work with. And she's going up there again. Kind of feel that area should probably just like try to land it right there. Just shy of the green. Since it's downwind and maybe try to land it in that spot and let it bounce onto the green, the lie is pretty decent. And spit scrappy over there in the deep rough and it's sort of near the edge of the cart path. The water is lurking on the other side, but. She again went up to that area and just going to think about the spot where she wants to land this, which is basically a 30 yard shot. Didn't quite catch that cleanly. Karen came up short, but that's the lesser of two evils of how you're going to miss it. Yeah, it's it's. It's very easy to do that. You take her a larger practice swing. You fully and well, and here we go. We're going to watch it right here. I think she takes this quite a long way back for the length of the shot. And then just at the last minute you kind of think I don't want to be so aggressive going through the ball because of what's lurking on the other side as Kay was describing. You can see she was trying to open the clubface with it as well, just to try and judge the one of her better stats. She's 125th on tour and getting it up and down from. I missed green. She lipped out a chip on the 5th hole. Well, that was good luck there. You sure was birdied the first hole, but it's going to be disappointed she didn't take advantage of five or this 11th. In contention here. And that's an up and down the second time for Guseva. And she remains in front by one. Pokey free as you see today. And land us about 145. I mean, I'm sorry. Landed about 165 170 playing a little plane more like 50 ish. Guseva has a very just very calm demeanor about her and she even the way she comes into a shot. It's very sort of nice and slow and relaxed. It's going left wind enhancing it more left. Yeah, I think that was a factor of the issue is aiming quite a bit out to the right and then at the last minute you get sort of sidetracked by the flag and try and help it towards the flag, which then exaggerates that that draw. To the 12th and goose of a second. She's down at the very bottom of this deep bunker, but how's a good deal of green to work with and a nice lie? Sounded good, it looked good. I think her short game has been pretty impressive. The the little wedges into the greens have been impressive. For a player that does have plenty of power, it's. Just to tap in. This could be. A breakout week with the rookie had a second place finish in Portland. Shot a couple of 64's that week. Peter Bort and Natalia back on the team 13. Yeah, choosing a long iron. Like she did yesterday, really no need to hit driver. Just bring some trouble into play and it's a short par 4 already. So she's got out. I agree. One of five is going to be playing. With it, it was blowing so much across. I think it may be even just 100. Right, because you're kind of hitting directionally into it. You know what I mean? Then you've got room. You got 7th, right? So I mean you go at it to a little bit, right? I like that. That controlled ones perfect. Love it. They actually talk in meters. 113 is what I have in yards for the actual yardage, but again, it's just you can almost throw numbers out a little bit. There's so much about the trajectory of how you hit it and just. Working with the wind. Oh yeah, she she really like I like we said, Karen just beautiful wedge play to to combine with that power off the tee. I mean, just so dialed in and it's not easy when when you're dealing with wind direction and how much time that's not in yet. Just a little heavy handed if she had been a little bit more patient with those. Uh, rather than trying to force it into the whole, I think she would have. Should probably make both of those parts goosever to regain the outright lead. And as for her 5th birdie today. That's how you do it. She really had a great chance in Portland. She finished second as we said, but she bogeyed the 18th hole when she was right there with the chance. Needed a birdie to time or age tonic garden. But. Good test of patience here for Austin drops back to 10 under. Meanwhile, Natalia goosever on the T at 14 back up by one. See if she can negotiate. Four bunkers, three on the right, one on the left that come into play. This drifting to the right. She ended up in the right rough yesterday and that skipped through that first bunker 55. It's fine now, but yeah. Did just sneak its way through goosever leading by one in round 3. On for the banana now. And we're back at 14 for goosever. Yeah, certainly lucky that her ball skirted through that first bunker makes all the difference. I mean, she would have maybe possibly gotten it on the green from the bunker. Now she's in position with this angle to actually hit one in fairly tight, although strong enough there, perfect. You don't want to miss left. I think she's probably eyeing a target about 10 or 15 feet to end up right at the flagstick. 131 yards to the whole that's playing. Probably a little bit a little bit longer. More like 135 wind is actually kind of died down for the moment. Well, she is looking so good with her irons particular short irons. No doubt about it. I mean, center of the clubface knows how to play the rough. Really good. Got some stop even. Come off the fairway. She'll have that to push her lead to 2. Glowgolf logo, yes. Alright, here is the goose as she's known. She got the logo on her bag on her website. Natalia Guseva got this to push her lead to 2. Yeah, I think she can give this a reasonable effort. She might be concerned a little bit. On the speed, so wouldn't surprise me she's just a little tentative. Remember, she ran one past the hole at 10 about 4 feet. And here. Tap in. She's been impressive. She really has. I mean, hasn't really put her foot wrong. And even when she has, she's she's managed to escape and it's been on holes where you could do it. I can't tell you goose of. That wind continues to stay down. I mean, it's still there blowing maybe. Maybe a half a club to a club, but nothing like it was earlier. I can't see the bottom of the flagstick, so it's always a little disconcerting on getting a good sense of where you want to land it. You hit the shot and then you just wait till you get up to the edge of the green to see where it ended up. Back we go to the 15th and our leader goose of up. She gets money on. About a 35 footer from the front of the green to the hole on the right hand side. Yesterday that was a bit of a surprise birdie. This may be a little bit longer, and as your caddy indicating. A little bit back uphill into the wind, so we'll see how she adjusts to add a little bit of extra hit to this to get it there. Yeah, that looks so good at her rhythm on her putting strip right now is exquisite. It's complete trust. She's not overthinking it. She's not forcing it. She's looking, seeing and reacting K. It's like she's she's truly and she talked about truly enjoying playing these kind of conditions, the wind and the challenges, and she enjoys a challenge and I think it does kind of take your mind away from the ultimate coming in there pretty flat. Keep it here for goose of up. Tom and I have mentioned how the weather has changed that wind is there, but boy, it's so much calmer. It's ideal scoring conditions right now, but goose has to hit a low shot with a pitching wedge flighted down what she can do. Because overhanging tree limbs. And also playing it out a little bit to the right of the flag. That was that was a really well thought out, maybe carried a little farther than she would have liked, but overall well done. Her lead is 2. She'll have a birdie putt coming up at the 16th in a moment. Form is very encouraging for next week and the week after. More importantly, let's go back to what we said about goose of earlier. Had never been in that position late on a Sunday as she was in Portland. Bogie the 18th hole with a chance to win. And that had you thinking it does. I mean, there's a there's a writer called Matt Cooper from the UK does a really great job and he calls it base camping like mountain climbers set up base camp and then they they get used to the altitude of and I think it's very very apt for golfers. OK, you camp out there in you know. In a top 10 position you keep putting yourself in into. Into contention and eventually you get used to the altitude of being at the top of the leaderboard. Exactly, and this is the first time she's played in the final group and she's really showing a ton of composure. I mean, she's basically grabbed this tournament and is running with it right now. And you never quite know how you're, but she is not going to play that tournament next week. She's a bit tired from the four straight Asian events, decided to add this event instead to the calendar and then she's going to go to Bermuda, the Bermuda PGA event and support her boyfriend Igor Ershanko, who Monday qualified and will be playing in his first PGA event. He recently got a call from recently graduated from Central Florida in the early part of the season and pursuing his own professional career, but she's in line to make it to the CME Group Tour championship and she who is on T now at the 17th. 235 yards to carry all the bunkers on the left. Oh, this is flirting to the right side. That wind picking up pushing left to right. It widens a little bit further down there, but is that going to stay dry? Yeah, yeah, it's first cut rough. Yeah, it looked awfully close and she'll be. I will see how far back she is. Come. Tonight. Right, Guseva may have gotten away with one off the tee at the 17th. She sure did. She's going to like this. It's it's in the first cut of rough. Sitting up nicely. Yes. Yeah, just like left shoulder of a guy. Yesterday she drove it into the left rough and then pulled her approach into the left green side bunker. He didn't get up and down so see if she can get this just somewhere on the green. I mean she's in prime position to easily get this to within 20 feet. Only 109 yards. Who needs to get up? She didn't hit all that. And it's in the front bunker. Short game will be tested, but it's been good so trying to win for the first time, just like Guseva. Both rookies. Tanya makes her home in Florida. She played and we mentioned the University of Miami. Her coach Bryce Waller. Is that the coach at UCF? Yes, Kay mentioned her. Boyfriend Igor Arashenko went to UCF. How about this third shot? It looking at the lie here, Kay. Yeah, she's actually pretty lucky. It got out of its. It's indentation when the ball hit. It could have possibly been a little bit of a Friday, but it's sort of sitting on the front part of the hole, and so it's almost a little bit teed up. It's the sand is a little bit more compact down at the bottom. They had a lot of wetness in the bottom of these bunkers. The staff here did a tremendous job. For most part, getting getting all these bunkers back in shape after all that rain. But she also has, I'd say. 8-9 pieces of green to work with, and a little bit of wind coming into the shot. Which will help it land softly. Took way too big a swing and she is lucky that sat down in. She was a couple inches from going off the other side of the green that severely melts away. And so she'll have that for par. As we bring you putt smarter. Alright, she could be tied for the lead here in just a moment. This is the par putt for Guseva at 17, trying to avoid bogey here for a third straight day. And she's been bogey free today. This is a solid 18 footer. And isn't it funny? Karen, how just some holes have you? They they beat you and I bet tomorrow she's just going to say let's somehow figure out a way to make a four. At 17. That's three shots. That this whole is taken from her. Starts with starts with the drive, doesn't it? Really, it's just making sure you you get the drive on the fairway. Well, she just had a gap wedge in her 50 degree and she that was plenty of clubs. It just didn't hit it solidly. It is the second hardest hole. Today and for the week and 17th and she'll. Rue that one so tied again with a limb chem that she heads to 18. There's a positioning then her tie for 9th to win a US Women's Open. Now she's going to have that to take the lead outright. Guseva letting it rip. Well, did she ever? She didn't hold back a thing on that drive beautifully struck. Would be an uncanny finish. Birdie Eagle. How about the drive from Guseva? Yeah, it was a thing of beauty. Well over 25 yards closer coming in with iron. Now she I think came out of that one a little bit low and right. Can't tell if it got into that front right bunker or it's just on the just in the rough. It did into the bunker. Couldn't get up and down at 17. If she does here, she'll tie the lead. And the green side bunker in two and her third shot coming up. This looks fairly straightforward. K, how would you describe it? Yeah, this lie is much better than what she had on the last hole. The sand is nice and even. Her lie is level. Oh, did that catch the stick? Little bit of spin on that. But she was looking to for something inside 3-4 feet, and instead she's going to have a 15 footer. You know, steep face, not an awful lot of green to use. And consequently, because it's a little bit downwind, all was coming in a little flatter because she was so far below the green surface. Very difficult to. Get a huge amount of spin on that. And Karen, if there's a quote weakness in her game right now, it's her low bunker percentage, which is. Is only like 36 and a half percent up and down, but but that could be a combination of her putting and maybe short siding herself more because she's aggressive going after flags so. We'll have to keep an eye on that as her career goes on, yeah? And Kim, her fellow rookie in that third to last pairing tomorrow. And now for Gustava. A pot for a closing birdie to tie a limb Kim. It's interesting, she said. That her mother made her an offer to get her a Cocker Spaniel little dog. If she were to win on the LPGA Tour. And so for her, she's kind of thinking more about the dog than the actual win, and maybe that's her way of taking a little pressure and giving her something to motivate her to push through the finish line. Oh, she hammered that. Goodness, that was a bit shocking right there. There's no reason Karen she would miss that that far by from from 1516 feet or so. No, I I do think that she's she feels particularly good with her putting the OK and I think that if you're confident with the putter you you tend not to worry about what's next because you feel like you're going to make it. No, but that can send a little bit of shockwave through your system. Let's see how she re centers herself and just just think about now this 3 1⁄2 footer. Yeah, well done. She had a two shot lead with a couple of holes to go. She'll begin the final round one back. It's the best position that she's been in. And once again, here in the second half of the season, she's going to have a bit. Alright, while we have a moment, let's send it down to Tom. Yeah, please. Remains to be seen if we'll see one tomorrow. We have five last year. There's potential for a rookie to win tomorrow for sure, but there's also potential for some for people that have won major champions to do it as well. How about the potential of Natalia Guseva? I mean just tremendous. I mean she showed us a lot of of what her game is all about these past couple of days. Good long drives off the tee. Aggressive player. I am play has been phenomenal distance control with. Yoshida from Japan, yet Guseva from Russia. Signing a card running out of time in our broadcast window here. It will be fascinating to see how Aileen Kim handles tomorrow. We know how she handled the pressure of US Women's Open. She set the record for the largest comeback, but once she got late in the day she she knew where she stood. Oh, and there's cake apple. Alright, fabulous round today. I I gotta ask you in general what you what you thought of your round today? Playing in the final group on LPGA Tour for the first time. It felt great out there. You know, I really said yesterday on the interview like you know, I don't have really type of kind of expectations. I'm just going out and having fun. I think this is the most like important thing that you're going to have in golf, and that's what you want to do. And same as for tomorrow. I know I'm one shot back and I like to chase, so it's going to be fun out there playing with alien came as well. So I just want to enjoy it out there. You know not to think about win or not win, so just just enjoy the game of golf. Just hole by hole. Nothing you know crazy and yeah and go and do my best while you retreat to watch and we wish you all the best of luck tomorrow. Thanks for the time grant. A little easier to enjoy it when you play the game like she did.