[Evian] Lee Jeong-eun6 '5-shot lead to secure victory'..."Did you see the shot eagle?"

4th Major Evian Championship Day 3: 3 Under Par, Noh Ye-rim 2nd, Lydia Ko 3rd, Park In-bi Tied 16th, Ko Jin-young 74th

Lee Jeong-eun 6 is teeing off at the 15th hole on the third day of the Amundi Evian Championship. Evian-les-Bains, France = Getty Images / Multivitz

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Jeong-eun Lee6 (25, Daebang Construction) is "reserving the championship."

On the night of the 24th (Korean time) at the Evian Golf Club (par 71, 6,527 yards) in Evian-les-Bains, France, the third day of the fourth major of the LPGA Tour, the Amundi Evian Championship (total prize money $4.5 million), she added 3 under par and maintained her position at the top of the leaderboard for the second consecutive day (18 under par, 195 strokes). Noh Ye-rim (USA) is in 2nd place (13 under par, 200 strokes), Lydia Ko (New Zealand) is 3rd (12 under par, 201 strokes), and Minjee Lee (Australia) is tied for 4th (11 under par, 202 strokes) chasing behind.

Jeong-eun Lee6 started with a 3-stroke lead, recording 1 eagle, 4 birdies, and 3 bogeys. She exchanged 2 birdies and 2 bogeys over 10 holes, struggling to reduce her score, but changed the momentum with an eagle shot on the 11th hole (par 4). While her competitors faltered, she added a birdie on the 15th hole (par 5), and recovered from a bogey on the 17th hole (par 4) with a birdie on the 18th hole (par 5), setting up the final round. She relied on her powerful drives averaging 283 yards.

Leading by 5 strokes, she is on track for her second career win in two years since the US Women's Open in June 2019. Jeong-eun Lee6 set the tournament records for the lowest 18-hole score in a major (61 strokes) and the lowest 36-hole score (127 strokes). She will challenge the final day records for most under par and lowest total score over 72 holes (21 under par, 263 strokes). If she wins, she will become the player to win her first two titles as majors, following Se-ri Pak (44, retired) and In-ji Jeon (27, KB Financial Group).

"I was a bit disappointed with my short putting, but overall it was a very satisfying round," said Jeong-eun Lee6. "I have a strong desire to win my second title also as a major," she added cautiously, "Since the course is difficult, even if the score gap is large, I must not relax my concentration." Playing alongside her, Pajarie Anannarukarn, tied for 4th, and two-time champion Ariya Jutanugarn (both from Thailand) faltered to 7th place (10 under par, 203 strokes).

Park In-bee is teeing off at the 7th hole on the third day of the Amundi Evian Championship. Evian-les-Bains, France = Getty Images / Photo by Multibits

Korea's In-ji Jeon, the 2016 champion, and Hyo-joo Kim (26, Lotte), the 2014 champion, are tied for 8th place (9 under par, 204 strokes). Park In-bi (33, KB Financial Group), who is challenging the "Career Super Slam" with five different major wins, remained at even par and dropped to tied 16th place (7 under par, 206 strokes). Brooke Henderson (Canada) is 26th (5 under par, 208 strokes), world number 1 Nelly Korda (USA) is tied for 32nd (3 under par, 210 strokes), and defending champion Jin-young Ko (26) is 74th (4 over par, 217 strokes).