ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Two-time champion Jiyai Shin took advantage of a collapse by top seed Nelly Korda on the back nine to move into a one-stroke lead after the third round of the Women’s British Open at St. Andrews on Saturday.

Nothing will give 36-year-old Shin more confidence for the final round than the fact that she recorded the last of her seven birdies with a score of 67 (5 under par) in the home of golf.

On the par 4 17th hole, the famous Road Hole, the former world number one hit a fairway wood shot that landed on the front of the green and rolled to within two feet of the pin.

This put Shin at 7 under par in the fifth and final major of the year. The South Korean will reach this number on Sunday to build on her titles at the British Open in 2008 and 2012.

Korda is also aiming for her third major title – it would be her first at the British Open – but will start two shots off the leader after losing form on the first two days with a score of 75.

The American started with a three-stroke lead, but missed short putts on her first two holes that led to bogeys and fell back to a share of the lead, which she regained with three birdies before the turn.

Korda lost her bearings on the back nine, missing a 4-foot par putt on 12, another 5-foot putt on 13, and then doubled on 16 after hitting her drive out of bounds.

There was another bogey on the 17th hole – a difficult hole where she had birdied on Thursday and Friday – but a birdie on the final hole left Korda in third place.

“It’s nice to finish with a birdie,” Korda said, “but it wasn’t the best day.”

Defending champion Lilia Vu, who played alongside Korda in the final pair, holed a birdie putt on hole 18 for a score of 71 and is now alone in second place.

Olympic champion Lydia Ko (71) and Jenny Shin (70) tied for fourth place.

Charley Hull lost his chance after a score of 75 strokes and was five strokes behind the leader at 2 under par.

Shin was a child prodigy, winning the British Open at Sunningdale in 2008 when she was not yet a member of the LPGA. Her victory at Hoylake four years later was by nine strokes and one of the most convincing wins at a women’s major. Between those major wins, she rose to the top of the world rankings.

Before the start of the 2014 season, however, she canceled her LPGA membership in the United States and returned to Asia to be near her father. Instead, she played in Japan and Korea – and continued to win titles along the way.

“I’m worried that I’ve lost fans, but I’ve met new fans. Even more new fans,” Shin said.

“I continue to work hard. I know myself very well now – even under different circumstances, I can cope better on my own. That’s why I’m here.”

Shin made birdies on holes 1 and 2 and made a real impact with three consecutive birdies on hole 7 to move one stroke behind Korda. She made birdies on hole 12 to stay one stroke behind and that stellar performance on hole 17 finally put her in the lead.

“Because of my size, I couldn’t see where the ball landed,” Shin said. “I couldn’t see it. I could hear a lot of splats, but I couldn’t see where they landed. And then I thought, ‘OK, just make it to the green,’ and then when I came up … to the hole, I thought, Wow, so close.”