Hongran's Advance "I'm Also 10 Under Par~"... Hanjinseon "Tied for Lead on Third Day"

Lotte Cantata Women's Open Day 3: Tied for Lead, Oh Ji-hyun 3rd, World No.1 Ko Jin-young Tied 61st

Hong Ran cheers after making a birdie on the 18th hole on the third day of the Lotte Cantata Women's Open. Photo by KLPGA

[Jeju=Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] "Tied 73rd → Tied 27th → Co-leader."

This time, it's Hong Ran (34, Samchully) with a '10-under par storm shot.' On the 6th, at the Lotte Skyhill Golf Club Sky & Ocean Course (par 72, 6,373 yards) in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, during the third day of the KLPGA Tour Lotte Cantata Women's Open (total prize money 600 million KRW), she swept up 10 birdies to instantly take the top spot on the leaderboard (16-under par 200). Han Jin-sun (23) is tied for the lead on the third day, and Oh Ji-hyun (24, KB Financial Group) is chasing in 3rd place, one stroke behind (15-under par 201).

Hong Ran opened the scoring early with four consecutive birdies from holes 4 to 7, and added three more sets of consecutive birdies on holes 10-11, 13-14, and 17-18 in the back nine. Her remarkable short game, including 22 'stingy putts,' stood out. Even on the four holes where she missed the green, she boasted 'ironclad defense' with one chip shot birdie and three par saves. She analyzed, "I have a lot of experience playing this course, so I know the attack points well," and added, "I was also a bit lucky today."

It is interesting that Hong Ran holds the great records of maintaining her tour card for 16 consecutive years and the most tournament appearances (319). She introduced, "I always put effort into maintaining my fitness and performance aiming for 400 tournament appearances," and said, "I approach each season with the mindset that if I can't do well despite my best efforts, then I will quit." For now, she is poised to claim her 5th career win after two years since the 2018 Brunei Ladies Open. She added her hunter instinct, saying, "The course is short, so an aggressive strategy is necessary."

Han Jin-sun is challenging for her first victory. She expressed determination, saying, "I've played in the final group about 10 times on the last day," and "I've gained enough experience to know how to win." World No. 6 Kim Se-young (27, Mirae Asset) and Kim Hyo-joo (25, Lotte), tied for 4th place (13-under par 203), are threatening contenders. Kim Se-young, in particular, showed perfect harmony with the course by firing a 10-under par blitz the previous day. However, she was held back by a triple bogey on the 16th hole (par 4) this day.

'Domestic No. 1' Choi Hye-jin (21, Lotte) is positioned tied for 6th (12-under par 204), and 'E1 Charity Open Champion' Lee So-young (23, Lotte) reduced her score by three strokes to tie for 8th (11-under par 205), aiming for 'back-to-back wins.' Im Hee-jung (20, Hanwha Q Cells), ranked 2nd in the points race, joined the tie for 8th, creating a competitive atmosphere for individual titles. World No. 1 Ko Jin-young (25) rather lost one stroke and dropped to tied 61st (2-under par 214).