KAWAGOE, Japan – It was a much different day for Nelly Korda on Friday at the Olympic women’s competition.

Korda’s second-round 62 was a ball-striking masterpiece and distanced her from the field. By comparison, her third-round 69, which kept her squarely in the lead and three shots ahead of India’s Aditi Ashok, was not nearly as easy.

“My fight,” she said when asked what she was most proud of on Day 3. “I didn't have a really good back nine, I was kind of spraying it all over the place, I had some testy par putts, but made all pars and I fought really hard to stay in it.”

It’s those crucial putts that have been the difference this year for the world No. 1, who ranked 71^st on the LPGA last year but has climbed to 19^th in that category this season with an average that’s nearly a shot better per round.

Korda switched to a left-hand-low putting grip at the U.S. Women’s Open in June and she said it’s made a huge difference on the greens.

“I feel way more confident over it," Korda said. "I know that my chest and my arms move more together and I just feel like there's less room for mistakes for me with left hand low."