Ryu Hae-ran leads BMW Ladies Championship after third round, closing in on third win of season

Four strokes clear of joint second place; leads for second consecutive day

Six Korean players in top 7 as South Korea dominates leaderboard

Ryu Hae-ran inspects her driver before a tee shot on the sixth hole during the third round of the LPGA Tour BMW Ladies Championship at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam-gun, South Jeolla Province, on Saturday amid rain. [Provided by tournament organizing committee]

Ryu Hae-ran held the solo lead for the second consecutive day at the LPGA Tour BMW Ladies Championship ($2.35 million purse), moving within one round of her third victory of the season. Six Korean players were clustered inside the top seven, asserting South Korea's dominance at the top of the leaderboard.

Ryu carded a 4-under-par 68 on Saturday at Pine Beach Golf Links (par 72) in Haenam-gun, South Jeolla Province, posting five birdies against one bogey. At 17 under par (199) for the tournament, she heads into the final round four strokes ahead of the joint second-place trio of Park Min-ji, Choi Hye-jin and Yoshida Yuri of Japan, all at 13 under par (203).

Ryu began the week tied for third after the opening round, moved into the solo lead in the second round and held that position Saturday. She struck the ball with precision, missing only one green in regulation, but her putter was uncooperative on the front nine. A birdie on the par-5 sixth hole was her only gain over the first nine holes, leaving her 1 under par at the turn.

She sank an approximately 8-meter birdie putt on the par-4 10th hole, then dropped her first bogey of the tournament when her tee shot on the par-3 15th drifted right of the green. She responded immediately, holing a 2-meter birdie putt on the par-4 16th, then added back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th to cement her lead.

"The wind was blowing and there was a lot of rain, so I had to use longer clubs than usual," Ryu said after her round. "I focused on hitting as accurately and straight as possible, and it worked out well." She added that her putting was much improved compared to the previous two days and that she was pleased to make birdies after the 15th hole. "Rain is expected tomorrow too, but I want to enjoy the round even more," she said.

Park Min-ji smiles as she walks under an umbrella after making a birdie on the first hole during the third round of the LPGA Tour BMW Ladies Championship at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam-gun, South Jeolla Province, on Saturday. [Provided by tournament organizing committee]

Park Min-ji, a 20-time winner on the KLPGA Tour, surged into joint second place with a bogey-free round of seven birdies. She attacked the rain-softened greens to trim her score, capping her round with three consecutive birdies on holes 16 through 18 to thrust herself into contention.

"The strong wind on the first day was the toughest part, but in the second and third rounds I understood the course better and the weather improved, so playing to the conditions paid off," Park said. She added that she normally does not play all 18 holes during practice rounds but chose to do so this week because she wanted to perform well.

Choi Hye-jin also joined Park in joint second place. Choi was on fire over the front nine, picking up eight strokes in nine holes, but gave back two on the back nine. The most costly moment came on the par-5 17th, where her second shot struck the slope in front of the green and rolled into a penalty zone, resulting in a double bogey.

Kim Min-ju sits in joint fifth at 12 under par (204), while Kim Hyo-joo and Kim Min-seon 7 are tied for seventh at 11 under par (205). In all, six Korean players — Ryu, Park, Choi, Kim Min-ju, Kim Hyo-joo and Kim Min-seon 7 — are positioned within the top seven heading into the final round.

yjc@heraldcorp.com