Kim Bi-Oh held the lead after the third round of the Korea Professional Golf (KPGA) Korean Tour LX Championship ($600,000,000 in prize money) and moved closer to his first win of the season.
Kim carded seven birdies and two bogeys for a 5-under 67 in the third round at The Heaven Country Club (Par 72, 7,293 yards) in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, on Sunday.
His 16-under-par 200 total gives him a two-stroke lead over Jang Yubin (Korea) and Lee Jun-seok (Australia), who are tied for second at 14-under-par 202.
Kim, who has eight career wins on the Korean Tour, hasn’t added to his tally since the SK Telecom Open in June of last year, but he kept his title hopes alive for the first time in a year and three months by sharing the first and second rounds and taking the sole lead in the third round.
After dropping three shots on the front nine, including back-to-back birdies on the second and third holes, Kim traded a birdie for two bogeys until the 16th hole in the second half.
However, she birdied the 17th (par-4) on a second shot that nearly went into the hole to take the lead, and then dropped another shot on the 18th (par-5) when her second shot went wide left and came to rest on the cart path and grass border.
“Overall, I’m happy that I’m playing to my game plan and scoring accordingly,” said Gimbio, who added: “I think if I stay calm and play my game, I can have good results. I will try not to falter even when there is a crisis.”
Zhang Yubin, who was tied for the lead after the second round, combined five birdies and two bogeys on the day to drop three strokes to tie for second place, but will be looking to make an upset in the final round.
The amateur, who will compete in the Hangzhou Asian Games later this month, won the Gunsan CC Open last week and is looking to become the first amateur to win back-to-back titles on the Korean Tour.
At the Gunsan CC Open, Jang was in second place, four strokes behind the leader after three rounds, before tying for the lead in the final round and winning in a playoff.
Lee, who shaved six strokes off his daily best to move into a tie for second place, will be looking for his third career Korean Tour title after winning the 2021 Kolon Korea Open and the Hana Bank Invitational last June.
“I’m thirsty because I haven’t won since last year. My iron shot confidence is up, so I’ll use that to my advantage and try to win tomorrow,” said Lee. “Perfect tee shots and accurate putts are key. I can’t make any mistakes on this course.”
Park, Kim Min-soo and Park Sung-joon are tied for fourth (13-under par 203), while Ham Jung-woo, Lee Tae-hee and Choi Jin-ho are tied for seventh (12-under par 204).
Ko Gun-taek, who has two wins this season, is tied for 14th (10-under par 206), while Kang Kyung-nam and Moon Do-yeop are tied for 15th (9-under par 207).
Lee Jae-kyung, the Genesis Grand Prize points leader (3,376), and Han Seung-soo (USA), the money list leader ($644,403), finished the third round in a tie for 20th place (7-under par 209). 파워볼
