Three rounds without a bogey, 46 points — leads by 4

Yoo Hyun-jo tees off on the fifth hole during the third round of the KLPGA Tour HJ Shipbuilding & Construction-Dongbu Championship at A-One Country Club in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, on Saturday. [KLPGA]
Yoo Hyun-jo tees off on the fifth hole during the third round of the KLPGA Tour HJ Shipbuilding & Construction-Dongbu Championship at A-One Country Club in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, on Saturday. [KLPGA]

Yoo Hyun-jo held the lead for a second consecutive day at the KLPGA Tour HJ Shipbuilding & Construction-Dongbu Championship, moving within one round of a second win this season. The tournament carries a purse of 1 billion won ($747,000).

Playing Saturday at A-One Country Club (par 72) in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, Yoo carded six birdies with no bogeys in the third round, adding 12 points to her total.

Her cumulative score of 46 points left her four clear of second-place Kim Min-sun (42 points). Seong Yu-jin sat third at 39 points, seven back, while Lee Ye-won was fourth at 37 points, nine behind.

The tournament uses a modified Stableford scoring format, awarding points based on each hole's result: 8 points for an albatross, 5 for an eagle, 2 for a birdie, 0 for a par, minus-1 for a bogey and minus-3 for a double bogey or worse.

Yoo opened her scoring on the third hole (par 5), sticking her third shot to within half a meter of the cup for a birdie, then followed with back-to-back birdies on the fifth (par 4) and sixth (par 3) holes. The birdie on the sixth hole was particularly notable — she drained a 6.5-meter putt. She kept the momentum going on the back nine, picking up birdies on the 10th (par 4), 13th (par 5) and 15th (par 5) holes before parring out to extend her bogey-free streak to three consecutive rounds.

Yoo, who won the KLPGA Tour Player of the Year award last year, claimed her first win of the season at the inaugural DB Women's Championship in May. With one victory, one runner-up finish and two third-place results this season, she will go for her second title of the year in Sunday's final round.

Han A-reum, who had been in sole second place Friday, managed only two birdies and two bogeys Saturday for a net gain of two points. Her cumulative total of 35 points dropped her into a tie for fifth alongside Choi Ye-bon and Seo Eo-jin.

Defending champion Kim Min-sol added seven points Saturday to reach 32 points overall, placing her in a tie for 12th with Bang Sin-sil and Yoo Seo-yeon.


yjc@heraldcorp.com