Lee makes albatross, Ko leads Kia Classic

Australian 19-year-old Minjee Lee has scored a rare albatross on the 275-yard par-four 16th at the LPGA Tour's Kia Classic.

With the tees up on the hole Lee, unleashed a driver landing it in the rough just short of the green before the ball checked up and rolled into the hole to take her to six-under for the tournament.

Not that the joy would last long, Lee (70) followed up the rare bird with a bogey on the following hole, the par-five 17th and finished her third round at five-under par, in a tie for 18th and nine strokes behind leader, world No.1 Lydia Ko.

The New Zealand star shot a second consecutive 67 to be 14-under the card and three shots clear of her nearest rivals, Koreans Jenny Shin, Sung Hyun park and American Brittany Lang.

"I'd rather be a couple shots ahead than a couple shots behind," Ko said.

"But the girls are playing great golf. The course is tough, but still, the scores are out there. So I've just got to focus on my game. Anything can happen."

The 18-year-old New Zealander saved par with a 10-foot putt on the par-4 18th, and has played bogey-free since her second hole in the first round.

"I struck the ball really well," Ko said.

"I think almost the harder part was that because I was giving myself a lot of opportunities, it almost felt like I wasn't putting good, but I was stroking good and holing a few putts here and there.

"I'm really proud with the way I played today. Obviously, I've got to take the positives and the confidence going into tomorrow."

While Ko was a bogey-free model of consistency her nearest rivals endured up and down rounds.

Park in particular could have been a whole lot closer if a disastrous double-bogey at the 17th hadn't have destroyed an otherwise breathtaking back nine.

Park made five straight birdies on holes 12 to 16 before the blemish but regained her composure to birdie the final hole.

Karrie Webb was another to make double at the 17th and shot a disappointing one-over 73 to be in a tie for 58th