Seo Gyo-rim leads by 3 heading into final round of KLPGA Championship

Seo Gyo-rim tees off on the 10th hole during the third round of the BC Card-Korea Herald 48th KLPGA Championship on Saturday. [KLPGA]

Age-group rivals Seo Gyo-rim and Kim Min-sol — both born in 2006 and locked in a race to become the first to four wins this season — kept their battle alive through the third round of the BC Card-Korea Herald 48th KLPGA Championship, the season's second major, which carries a purse of 1.5 billion won ($1.08 million).

Seo carded a bogey-free 3-under-par 69 on Saturday at Pocheon Hills Country Club's Garden-Palace Course (par 72) in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, navigating difficult conditions with three birdies and no dropped shots.

Her three-round total of 10-under-par 206 left her three strokes clear of Kim in second place.

The two will meet in a direct showdown Sunday at the same venue, with a major championship trophy and the season's fourth title on the line.

Seo and Kim each have three wins this season, sharing the lead in the multiple-victories standings. Their rivalry sharpened over four tournaments in June, when the pair alternated victories — Seo, Kim, Seo, Kim — in succession. Fans have taken to calling their rivalry the "Sol-rim Daejeon," a portmanteau of their given names.

Whoever wins will become the first player to reach four victories this season, gaining a decisive edge in the race for the most wins title.

Kim Min-sol plays an iron shot on the fifth hole during the third round of the BC Card-Korea Herald 48th KLPGA Championship on Saturday. [KLPGA]

The third round was suspended Saturday from 1:07 p.m. to 3:35 p.m. due to rain and a lightning warning, and the slick course conditions proved troublesome for most of the field. Seo, however, played with composure throughout.

She picked up her first birdie on the par-5 third hole, placing her third shot 2.2 meters from the cup, then added another on the par-4 fifth after knocking her approach to within 2.4 meters. She then strung together nine consecutive pars before closing with a third birdie on the par-4 15th.

Kim had a shakier day. Her third shot on the par-5 third found the rough, leading to a double bogey. She steadied herself with back-to-back birdies on the par-4 seventh and par-4 eighth holes, then added a third birdie on the par-4 17th after placing her second shot 2.5 meters from the pin.

Kim Min-ju, still winless this season, shot a 4-under-par 68, while Ko Ji-woo carded a 2-under-par 70; both finished at 6-under-par 210 for the tournament, sharing third place. Park Bo-gyeom, Park Hye-jun and Jeong So-i were tied for fifth at 5-under-par 211.

yjc@heraldcorp.com