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| Min-sol Kim / Photo courtesy of KLPGA |
Kim fired a 3-under 69 in the third round on the 11th at Golfzon County Seonsan (par 72) in Gumi, North Gyeongsang, carding five birdies and two bogeys.
The round pushed Kim to 10-under 206 overall, two strokes ahead of Ma Da-som, who sits at 8-under 208.
Though she is a rookie this season, Kim swept four victories on the second-tier Dream Tour in the first half of the year. She has also won twice on the main KLPGA circuit, taking the BC Card·Hankyung Ladies Cup and the Dongbu Construction·Korea Land Trust Championship.
Starting on No. 1, Kim caught fire with three straight birdies beginning at the 3rd hole and added another birdie at No. 7 to close out a strong front nine.
On the back nine, she made a bogey at No. 12 but answered immediately with a birdie at No. 13. A late bogey at No. 17 prevented her from increasing the gap over Ma.
After the round, Kim said, \"I really worked hard today. My shots were a bit shaky, so I had to rely on my short game a lot, but my putts fell and I was able to finish well.\"
On the swing issues in the closing holes, she added, \"My feel for my shots isn't perfect right now. Saving those inconsistent shots with putts used up a lot of energy, and I think that took a toll on me in the back nine.\"
Looking ahead, she said, \"Tomorrow's pin positions won't be easy. My putting felt great today, so I'll keep focusing on my putting. This course doesn't give many second-shot opportunities, so it will come down to who stays locked into their game and makes the key putts.\"
Meanwhile, Kim Min-seon, who shared the lead through two rounds, slipped to a tie for fourth at 6-under 210. Jeon Ye-seong shot 3-over on the day and is 4-under 212 overall, tied for sixth.
[Sports Today reporter Kang Tae-gu sports@stoo.com]
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