Choi Ye-rim greets the gallery after making a birdie on the third hole. [Photo=KLPGA]
Choi Ye-rim greets the gallery after making a birdie on the third hole. [Photo=KLPGA]

Choi Ye-rim shot a flawless 7-under-par 65 on Saturday to share the lead heading into the final round of the KLPGA Tour Mediheal-Korea Ilbo Championship, which carries a purse of 1.2 billion won ($848,000).

Playing at Mongvert Country Club's Myeongseongsan Course (par 72, 6,713 yards) in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, the 27-year-old carded seven birdies against no bogeys to reach 13-under 203 for the tournament, drawing level with Kim Min-sol, who posted a 4-under 68.

Choi joined the KLPGA Tour in 2017 and has won twice on the Dream Tour developmental circuit, but she has yet to claim a title on the main tour. Despite numerous opportunities, victory has eluded her — she has finished runner-up nine times.

Choi holds the highest career earnings among winless players on the KLPGA Tour, a testament to her consistent ball-striking, yet she is equally known for faltering when a title is within reach. The central question heading into Sunday is whether she can overcome what Korean golf circles call "deolddeol-jeung" — the choking phenomenon — and finally break through.

Sports psychology research shows that when anxiety about outcomes runs high and heart rate and sympathetic nervous system activation exceed a threshold, performance can collapse sharply. Specific environmental cues — the final group, the 18th hole with a title on the line, a playoff — can trigger conditioned stress responses tied to painful past defeats.

In those moments, anxiety takes over the brain just before a shot is executed. The focused attention that normally stays on controllable processes — target selection, pre-shot routine — shifts toward uncontrollable outcomes: the winner's trophy, media scrutiny, a rival's score. That shift accelerates mental breakdown.

Choi has played in the final group seven times at previous tournaments without winning and has lost all three playoffs she has entered. As recently as June, she finished runner-up at the McCall Mona Yongpyong Open, losing to her current co-leader Kim Min-sol.

On Saturday's moving day, however, Choi delivered a dazzling round that raised hopes for her first main-tour title. Precise iron play and sharp putting allowed her to attack the course from start to finish, and a 100 percent greens-in-regulation rate underscored the seamless coordination between her driver and irons.

Choi opened her round by draining a 7.6-meter birdie putt on the first hole (par 4), then added back-to-back birdies on the third and fourth holes before converting a 3.6-meter birdie on the sixth (par 5). She kept the momentum going on the back nine, sticking her third shot to within 1.5 meters on the 14th (par 5) for a birdie, then holing out from 3.2 meters on the 16th (par 4) and from 9.3 meters on the 18th (par 4) to finish in a share of the lead.

After her round, Choi said her approach for the final round would be no different from any other. "My strategy is always the same — to play with joy and have fun. It's important not to try too hard. I'll keep my mind under control and play the way I have been," she said.

She added: "There have been many chances to win, and whenever I tried too hard, my body would tense up. I'd tell myself to stay relaxed, but when it came down to it, I'd find myself bearing down with wide eyes. This year, though, I feel that has been happening much less. I sense, little by little, that I'm getting better."

Kim Min-sol carded five birdies and one bogey for a 4-under 68 to share the lead at 13-under 203. Her only blemish came on the 13th hole (par 4), where her tee shot found the rough on a fairway bunker slope. She offset that with five birdies, including consecutive ones on the seventh and eighth holes.

Lee Ji-hyeon 3 fired the day's best round, a 9-under 63, to move to 11-under 205 and take sole third place. She made 10 birdies against one bogey on moving day. Like Choi, Lee has yet to win on the main tour, and she will join Choi and Kim in the final group Sunday with a title in her sights.

"Rather than chasing the win, I want to play each hole according to the situation," Lee said. "On the tough holes, I'll play it safe, and when an opportunity comes, I think it'll be important to be aggressive."

Seo Gyo-rim, who has won twice this season and built a rivalry with Kim Min-sol, bounced back with a 4-under 68 to sit alone in fourth at 10-under 206 — just three strokes off the lead and still in contention for a come-from-behind victory.

Lee Da-yeon, who won the Aurora World Championship two weeks ago, shot a 1-under 71 to share fifth place with Lee Ga-young at 9-under 207.

Kim A-lim, who chose to play in this sponsor event rather than an LPGA Tour event, carded a 5-under 67 to join a group tied for 10th at 8-under 208, alongside Yoo Hyeon-jo, Bang Shin-sil and Kim Min-ju.


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