Lee Jihee 'Tied 6th, 5 Strokes Behind'... Hara 'Leading for Third Consecutive Day'

Rico Cup Tour Championship Day 3: Nishimura 1 Over Par, 1 Stroke Behind in 2nd, Shin Ji-ae Tied for 13th

Lee Ji-hee is teeing off on the 1st hole on the third day of the Rico Cup Tour Championship. Miyazaki, Japan - Photo by Getty Images/Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is the determined effort of veteran Lee Ji-hee (41).

On the 28th, at the Miyazaki Golf Club in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan (Par 72, 6,543 yards), the third day of the final event of the 2020 season of the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association (JLPGA) Tour, the Ricoh Cup Tour Championship (total prize money 120 million yen), Lee Ji-hee lost one stroke but stood tied for 6th place (5 under par, 211 strokes). Erika Hara is leading (10 under par, 206 strokes), followed by Yuna Nishimura in 2nd place (9 under par, 207 strokes), and Momoko Ueda (both from Japan) in 3rd place (8 under par, 208 strokes), who are in pursuit.

Starting tied for 5th place, 3 strokes behind, Lee Ji-hee recorded 2 birdies and 3 bogeys. She started shakily with a bogey on the 1st hole (par 4) but regained momentum with consecutive birdies on the 2nd and 3rd holes. However, after bogeys on the 5th and 7th holes, she was unable to reduce her strokes on the remaining 11 holes, which was regrettable. She is 5 strokes behind the leader, still in a position to aim for a comeback. Hara scored 1 under par with 3 birdies and 2 bogeys. She has maintained a strong upward trend, staying at the top of the leaderboard for three consecutive days.

Yuka Saso (Philippines), the 'prize money leader,' surged to 4th place (7 under par, 209 strokes), 3 strokes behind, by posting a daily best of 3 under par. Ayaka Furue (Japan), the '3-win champion,' struggled with 3 over par and dropped to tied 10th place (4 under par, 212 strokes). From Korea, Jeon Mi-jeong (38) is 12th (3 under par, 213 strokes), defending champion Bae Seon-woo (26) and '2-win champion' Shin Ji-ae (32) are tied for 13th (2 under par, 214 strokes), Lee Min-young (28, Hanwha Q CELLS) is tied for 28th (5 over par, 221 strokes), and Lee Na-ri (32) is 31st (6 over par, 222 strokes).