Shin Ji-eun tees off on the 18th hole. [Photo=LPGA]
Shin Ji-eun tees off on the 18th hole. [Photo=LPGA]

Veteran Shin Ji-eun, 34, held the lead for a third consecutive day at the ISPS Handa Scottish Women's Open, a co-sanctioned event between the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour with a $2 million purse.

Shin carded two birdies and one bogey for a 1-under-par 71 on Saturday (local time) at Dundonald Links (par 72, 6,457 yards) in North Ayrshire, Scotland. Her three-round total of 12-under-par 204 left her five shots clear of second-place Pajaree Anannarukarn of Thailand, putting a first victory in 10 years within reach.

In her 16th year on tour, Shin maintained steady play through the blustery links conditions and is now on course for a wire-to-wire victory. She is the only player in the field to have finished under par in all three rounds.

In a round played under capricious weather — rain, strong winds and sunshine all making appearances — Shin opened her account with a birdie at the par-3 sixth hole. She dropped a shot at the par-4 10th when a short second shot led to her first three-putt of the week, but she bounced back immediately with a precise iron shot to birdie the par-3 11th.

"It was a very tough round," Shin said after her round. "I was quite nervous for the first five holes, so I'm really happy to finish the day under par. It was a boring but at the same time very nerve-wracking day."

She explained the bogey at the 10th: "I made a small mistake there. I changed my setup this week because of the wind, but out of habit I went back to my old setup when lining up the putt, which caused the clubface to close at impact. Because I knew exactly what I had done wrong, I was able to correct it right away."

Shin's surge — she leads the field with the most birdies (15) and fewest bogeys (3) in the tournament — has been underpinned by thorough preparation and technical adjustments.

Ahead of the event, Shin held a training camp in Sweden to sharpen her feel for the windy links conditions typical of European courses. Adjustments to her setup — standing more upright and keeping her arms more fixed to combat the strong wind — combined with a putter change, restoring her confidence in both ball-striking and putting.

Anannarukarn fired the day's best round, a 3-under-par 69, to claim sole second place heading into the final round. The LET winner said: "This is a true links course and it's very enjoyable when things are going well. I'm trying to enjoy the challenge and do my best. I'm very happy with my score and the result on Sunday."

Hara Erika of Japan, who is competing with Hwang Yu-min for Rookie of the Year honors, carded four birdies and three bogeys for a net 1-under 71, moving to a three-round total of 5-under-par 211 and into a tie for third with Esther Henseleit of Germany. Kim A-rim dropped two shots but sits alone in fifth at 3-under-par 213.

Shin made her LPGA Tour debut in 2011 and claimed her first victory at the VOA America Texas Shootout in May 2016, but has gone without a win since. A victory this week would mark her first triumph in 10 years and two months and her first-ever wire-to-wire win.

"I've never been in a position where I'm leading by five shots, so I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel," Shin said. "I'll do a little practice, find a good feel for Monday's round and make sure I'm not scrambling in the morning. On Sunday, I barely knew what I was looking at on the first putt of the first hole, but I went through all the nerves in the front nine, so I hope tomorrow will be better."


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