▲ Yoo Hyun-jo
Yoo Hyun-jo, last year's KLPGA Tour Grand Award winner, has seized an opportunity to claim her second win of the KLPGA Tour season.
Playing in the third round of the HJ Heavy Industries-Dongbu Construction Championship held at Aceone Country Club in Yangsan, Gyeongsangnam-do, Yoo carded six birdies without a single bogey to earn 12 points, maintaining her position at the top with a three-round total of 46 points.
She leads second-place Kim Min-sun (born in 2003) by 4 points, third-place Sung Yu-jin by 7 points, and fourth-place Lee Ye-won by 9 points.
The tournament, which follows a modified Stableford scoring system, awards 5 points for an eagle, 2 points for a birdie, 0 points for a par, -1 point for a bogey, and -3 points for a double bogey or worse.
Having played bogey-free golf in the first and second rounds, Yoo showcased her flawless shot-making in the third round as well.
She grabbed her first birdie of the day on the par-5 3rd hole, landing her third shot 0.5 meters from the pin.
On the par-3 4th hole, she faced a moment of crisis when her tee shot landed in a bunker in front of the green, but she calmly managed to save par.
After safely holing out, Yoo immediately reeled off consecutive birdies on the 5th and 6th holes.
In particular, she sank a difficult 6.5-meter birdie putt on the 6th hole.
She continued to steadily accumulate points on the back nine without a bogey.
She converted a 1.4-meter birdie putt on the 10th hole, and although her tee shot drifted to the right on the par-5 13th hole, she calmly recovered to the fairway and placed her third shot 3.2 meters from the cup to notch another birdie.
After picking up her final birdie on the 15th hole, Yoo successfully parred the remaining holes to wrap up her round.
Yoo, who won the inaugural DB Women's Championship last May, will vie for her second victory of the season in the final round on October 11.
This season, Yoo has recorded one win, one runner-up finish, and two third-place finishes.
Han A-rum, who stood alone in second place just one stroke behind Yoo the previous day, managed to earn only 2 points with two birdies and two bogeys, bringing her to a cumulative total of 35 points and dropping her into a tie for 5th place alongside Choi Ye-bon and Seo Eo-jin.
Defending champion Kim Min-sol, who has claimed three wins this season, added 7 points to reach a cumulative total of 32 points, falling into a tie for 12th place alongside Bang Shin-sil and Yu Seo-yeon.
(Photo: Provided by KLPGA Tour, Yonhap News)
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