Kim Su-ji tees off on the 17th hole. [Photo=KLPGA]
Kim Su-ji tees off on the 17th hole. [Photo=KLPGA]

Kim Su-ji surged to a one-shot lead in the third round of the KLPGA Tour Aurora World Championship on Saturday, powering through sweltering heat at Aurora Golf & Resort in Wonju, Gangwon Province.

Kim carded seven birdies against one bogey for a 6-under-par 66, moving to 11-under 205 for the tournament and pulling one stroke clear of Lee Ji-hyeon 3 in second place. Kim opened the event at even par, sharing 35th place, but tore through the field with 11 combined strokes gained over the second and third rounds to claim the outright lead.

The heat made scoring difficult — only 10 of 61 players finished under par on the day — and Kim's 66 was the low round of the day. She was aggressive from the start.

Kim chipped to within 20 centimeters of the pin on the par-5 1st hole for her opening birdie, then drained putts of 90 centimeters and 7.6 meters on the tricky par-4 3rd and 4th holes for back-to-back birdies. She completed a four-birdie front nine by holing a 16.4-meter putt on the par-3 6th.

Kim added consecutive birdies on the 10th and 11th holes, then stuck her approach to within 80 centimeters on the par-4 14th for another birdie. Her only blemish came on the par-4 15th, where she missed a 1.3-meter par putt for her sole bogey of the day.

"On the first day I didn't have many birdie chances and couldn't convert my putting opportunities," Kim said after her round. "But from the second round on, I've been making the most of every chance that came my way. Today my putting felt great and I was able to pick up several birdies. My ball-striking felt good too."

Kim is chasing her seventh career title at this event. Her most recent victory came at the 24th Hite Jinro Championship in October 2024. "I expect the pin positions in the final round to be set up tough," she said. "I'll focus on precise course management, sharpen my ball-striking a little more, and keep this putting feel going."

Her pursuers are not far behind. Lee Ji-hyeon 3 posted a bogey-free, 3-under round to sit one shot back in second. "When I get too fixated on winning, my game tends to fall apart," Lee said. "Winning requires a lot of luck and circumstances to align, so I'm going to let go of the pressure and just enjoy focusing on my own game."

Lee Da-yeon put together a flawless 5-under round with five birdies and no bogeys to reach 9-under 207, joining Lee Ye-won — who finished even par on the day — in a tie for third. Both are seasoned winners and players Kim will need to watch closely.

"On this course you can make up strokes in a hurry, but you can just as easily give them back," Lee Da-yeon said. "In the final round I'll play the best golf I can and make it a good day."

Kim Min-ju, who had led through the first two rounds, stumbled to a 4-over 76 and dropped into a tie for fifth at 6-under 210. She birdied the 1st hole but made four bogeys over the rest of her round.


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