Reto charge ignites medal hopes

Cape Town - South African golfer Paula Reto put in a fantastic third round to leave herself with a glimmer of a medal hope in the Rio Olympics women's golf tournament.

Reto carded a three-under 68 on a day when many of the leading pack struggled in the windy conditions to lift herself into a share of eighth place, five shots off the bronze and silver medal positions.

Her round didn't get off to the best start as she dropped a shot on the second hole, but she would birdie the third, fifth, and eighth holes to make the turn in two under.

Reto then birdied the 15th before a bogey on the 17th threatened to spoil her round, but she recovered to birdie the final hole and join world number three Brooke Henderson on four under for the tournament.

After an even par front nine, Reto's compatriot Ashleigh Simon had a nightmare back nine to end six over par for the day.

Before ending the day with a double-bogey on the 18th, Simon started the back nine with three consecutive bogeys.

She managed a solitary birdie on the 16th but it was sandwiched by further bogeys on the 15th and 17th.

At the top of the leaderboard, South Korea's Inbee Park put in an inconsistent round but managed to stay in front.

Park shot a one-under 70, making a fantastic start to the day carding birdies on the first, third and fifth holes.

The world number five would start to waver, though, dropping five shots on the last 12 holes while managing a further three birdies to scrape in under par.

After a slow start to the tournament, world number one Lydia Ko has begun to look like a serious medal contender. She carded a six-under 65 to move within two strokes of the leader and a share of second place.

The highlight of the round had to be Ko's hole in one on the eighth, as she joined China's Lin Xiyu in acing the 140-yard par 3.

Sharing second place with the Kiwi is America's Gerina Piller, who carded a three-under 68.

Piller was four under after the front nine but a birdie at the sixteenth was sandwiched between bogeys on the 12th and 18th holes.

China's Shanshan Feng is all alone in fourth after shooting a three-under 68 to leave herself with a shot at Olympic glory tomorrow.