Hannah Green shot a third-round 70 to move to 18-under par and take a two-stroke lead into the final round at the BMW Ladies Championship in Paju, South Korea, on Saturday.
It was a busy day of golf after Friday’s second round was suspended due to persistent rain showers that left the Seowon Hills course at Seowon Valley Country Club unplayable. None of the 78 players in the field completed the second round, which led to an early start Saturday.
Green had nine holes left to complete when play was called Friday and stood at 12-under through 27 holes. She finished the second round with four birdies on the back nine to card her second consecutive 64 and move to 16-under through two rounds.
But the Australian couldn’t match her bogey-free second round, starting the front nine with three bogeys and a birdie. On the back nine, she made up lost ground with two birdies and an eagle on the par-5 No. 15 for a round of 70.
That left room for South Korea’s Yu Jin Sung to make a run toward the top of the leaderboard, finishing the second round at 70, then firing nine birdies to finish with a 63 to move her to16-under 200 through 54 holes.
South African Ashleigh Buhai (66 second round, 71 Saturday) is three shots back of Green at 15-under par, with Ryann O’Toole (65, 68) and South Korean Haeran Ryu (69, 68) tied for fourth at 14 under.
Green said her third-round score didn’t necessarily reflect the way she played Saturday.
“Yeah, I felt like I didn’t actually hit that many bad shots on the front nine, I just couldn’t really get anything going,” she said. “I guess the momentum from shooting 16-under in two rounds kind of fell off, and I was getting angry at things that I probably shouldn’t have. But, yeah, it was really nice to see a putt go in on 11, obviously make a birdie on the par-5.
“And then hit a really nice tee shot on 14, the par-3. And then, yeah, holed a monster putt on 15. So that really changed the momentum and I guess the taste in my mouth for tomorrow. It definitely could have been worse, but I’m really proud that I was able to shoot under par.”
Green is searching for her third victory of the season, but she has never finished higher than a tie for 10th in four prior starts at the BMW Ladies Championship.
For Sung, a tour rookie, her third round was her second 63 of the season. The Korean is seeking to become the first 2024 rookie to win a tournament.
“I will try my best to stop my nerves getting to me,” Sung said, looking ahead to Sunday. “Many players out there that can shoot low scores in a day, must keep that in mind. Must focus on my game, whilst recognizing that I am not the only who can make birdies out there.”
Defending champion Minjee Lee of Australia finished the second round with a 73 but put together seven birdies and a bogey for a third-round 66 to stand at 10 under and tied for 18th place.
Green is seeking a wire-to-wire win. She set the tournament record with her 128 total after 36 holes, then set the 54-hole scoring record at Seowon Valley and tied the overall record of 198, which is a career best for her through 54 holes.
