Yu Jin Sung shot a 1-under 71 on Friday at windy Hoakalei Country Club to take a one-stroke lead into the ultimate spherical of the Lotte Championship in ʻEwa Beach, Hawaii.
The South Korean is taking part in on a sponsor exemption after profitable the 2022 Lotte Open on the Korean LPGA.
She opened with a birdie on the par-5 first, dropped a stroke on the par-4 thirteenth and rebounded with a birdie on the par-4 14th.
“It’s a really troublesome course and it is actually windy immediately, so I attempted my greatest to only ease and play that manner,” Sung mentioned.
Georgia Hall, Linnea Strom and tour rookie Grace Kim have been tied for second, with 13 gamers inside three strokes of one another on the high of the leaderboard.
Canada’s Brooke Henderson, at No. 7 the highest-ranked participant within the area, had two back-nine bogeys in a 69 that left her 6 below, three photographs again.
The Smiths Falls, Ont., native birdied 5 or her first seven holes. She’s the one a number of winner in occasion historical past, taking the 2018 and 2019 titles at Ko Olina.
“The entrance 9 was a whole lot of enjoyable,” Henderson mentioned. “I used to be making a whole lot of birdies and giving myself a whole lot of the nice alternatives. Unfortunately, dropped a pair photographs right here on the again 9. Hopefully, simply go on the market and do the identical factor the primary 9 holes and simply clear this up just a little bit.”
WATCH | Henderson shoots 3-under 69 in third spherical:
Brooke Henderson trails by 3 photographs heading into closing spherical of Lotte Championship
Brooke Henderson of Smith Falls, Ont., shoots 3-under 69 within the third spherical of the Lotte Championship. The two-time winner of the occasion trails chief Yu Jin Sung of South Korea by three strokes.
Kim, from Australia, had a 70. Hall, from England, and Strom, from Sweden, every shot 71.
“I’m very joyful to be on this place,” Strom mentioned. “I’ve been working very exhausting to be right here. So, it is good to see some exhausting work repay. But I nonetheless really feel like I’m not hitting it fairly nearly as good as I need on the market. I’m hitting the drives fairly good, however struggling a bit with my irons for the time being.”
Thailand’s Natthakritta Vongtaveelap, tied for the lead after every of the primary two rounds, had a 73 to fall right into a tie for fifth at 7 below with Lauren Hartlage (70), Christina Kim (71) and Nasa Hataoka (71).
The 20-year-old Vongtaveelap is making her second LPGA Tour begin. In February, she received her first two occasions as professional on the Thai LPGA Tour, then was second behind Lilia Vu within the LPGA Thailand.
Bailey Tardy (65) was 6 below together with Celine Boutier (67), Peiyun Chien (69) and Siyun Liu (70).
Defending champion Hyo Joo Kim was 1 over, following a second-round 78 with a 71.
The Chevron Championship, the primary ladies’s main championship of the yr, is subsequent week in Texas.
