Kang Min-ji cards 7-under 65 with eagle to join Kim at 11 under; Yamashita leads by two heading into final round

Kim A-lim watches her shot on the fifth hole during the third round of the LPGA Tour's Maybank Championship at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Saturday (Korean Standard Time). [AP]
Kim A-lim watches her shot on the fifth hole during the third round of the LPGA Tour's Maybank Championship at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Saturday (Korean Standard Time). [AP]

Kim A-lim stumbled in the third round of the LPGA Tour's Maybank Championship ($3 million purse) on Saturday, widening the gap between Kim and the leader.

Kim carded four birdies and three bogeys for a 1-under 71 at the West Course of Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (par 72) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

At 11-under 205 for the tournament, Kim dropped from sole fourth place on Friday to tied ninth. Sole leader Yamashita Miyu of Japan sits at 18-under 198, leaving Kim seven strokes back — making a come-from-behind victory in the final round a tall order.

Kim opened with back-to-back birdies on the par-5 third and par-3 fourth holes before dropping a shot with a bogey on the par-4 sixth. A birdie on the par-5 10th gave Kim momentum on the back nine, but consecutive bogeys on the par-3 15th and par-4 16th halted that progress. Kim salvaged one stroke with a closing birdie on the par-5 18th.

Kang Min-ji talks with her caddie after finishing the 18th hole during the third round of the LPGA Tour's Maybank Championship at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Saturday (Korean Standard Time). [Getty Images]
Kang Min-ji talks with her caddie after finishing the 18th hole during the third round of the LPGA Tour's Maybank Championship at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Saturday (Korean Standard Time). [Getty Images]

Kang Min-ji, by contrast, fired a 7-under 65 featuring one eagle and six birdies against a single bogey. At 11-under 205 for the tournament, Kang joins Kim in a tie for ninth.

Kang was particularly sharp on the front nine, picking up six strokes before the turn. Kang birdied the par-4 second, eagled the par-5 third, then added birdies on the par-5 fifth, par-4 seventh and par-3 eighth. On the back nine, Kang birdied the par-5 10th and par-4 17th before closing with a bogey on the par-5 18th.

Yamashita shot a 5-under 67 on Saturday to reach 18-under 198, holding sole first place for the second consecutive day. Yamashita leads joint runners-up Liu Yan of China and Pauline Roussin-Bouchard of France — both at 16-under 200 — by two strokes, putting Yamashita in a strong position to defend the title.

Marissa Tojai of Thailand (amateur) and Robin Choi of Australia are tied for fourth at 14-under 202. Choi Hye-jin, who finished runner-up at last year's event after a playoff against Yamashita, carded a 2-under round Saturday and sits at 9-under 207 in a tie for 18th.


yjc@heraldcorp.com