Chella Choi nearly ties U.S. Women's Open 18-hole record

Early in the third round of the 2015 U.S. Women's Open, on the 18th hole at Lancaster Country Club, LPGA Tour player Chella Choi of South Korea almost eclipsed history.

The 24-year-old Choi lined up for a 3-foot par putt that would end her round at 63. If the putt dropped, she would tie the record low score at a U.S. Women's Open, set in 1994 by Helen Alfredsson at Indianwood in Lake Orion, Mich.

Choi pushed her neon orange ball towards the hole, and on the precipice of dropping in her ball lipped out and rolled just inches away. She tapped her ball in to finish the third round with a 64, only after the crowd released a disheartened gasp.

According to Choi, she was unaware that she was on the brink of tying the record when she teed off on the final hole. "I'm not thinking that much today about score," she said. "But now it's so exciting, so close."

After the first two rounds, Choi was 4-over after shooting 71 and 73 and had birdied only seven holes. On the first nine holes of the third round she birdied six, including a 24-foot putt on the eighth hole. Choi opened Saturday's competition with a 29 - which, it should be noted, did set a nine-hole Open record.

She continued her blazing pace through the back nine with three more birdies on No. 11, 15 and 17.

With her 64, Choi recorded the lowest one-round score of any golfer in the field at Lancaster by two strokes. She will head into Sunday's final round at 208, which is 2-under par, or five shots behind second-round leader Amy Yang as Yang began her play on Saturday.

Although the 64 is certainly a stellar mark, it is not Choi's best score in professional competition.  In last year's ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open, Choi shot a 62 in the third round, 10 strokes under par.

Choi attributes her hot streak at Lancaster to her putting, specifically a newfound confidence thanks to a putter change to a slightly heavier and longer model.

"My stroke is better, easy stroke," Choi said. "The key is putting now in my game."

Choi, who lives in Jacksonville, Fla., is in her seventh year on the LPGA Tour but has yet to win a tournament in her career. She pocketed more than $1 million last season when she posted 10 finishes in the Top 10. This year, she has two top-10's to her credit and is 32nd on the LPGA money list with more than $227,000.

--Laine Higgins