Park In-bi "Tied 3rd, 3 Shots Behind"..."Did You See the Chip-in Eagle?"

Palos Verdes Championship Day 3: Green Leads After Two Days, Lydia Ko 2nd by 1 Stroke, Ko Jin-young and Choi Hye-jin Tied 12th

Park In-bee is teeing off at the 4th hole on the third day of the newly established Palos Verdes Championship.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is a winning opportunity for "Golf Empress" Park In-bee (34, KB Financial Group).

On the 1st (Korean time), at the Palos Verdes Golf Club (par 71, 6,450 yards) in Palos Verdes Estates, California, USA, the third day of the newly established LPGA Tour event, the Palos Verdes Championship (total prize money $1.5 million), Park added 1-under par to leap to a tie for 3rd place (5-under par 208). Hannah Green (Australia) leads (8-under par 205), Lydia Ko (New Zealand) is 2nd (7-under par 206), and Minjee Lee (Australia) and sponsor invitee Andrea Lee (USA) are tied for 3rd.

Starting from a tie for 9th place, 5 strokes behind, Park recorded 1 eagle, 3 birdies, and 4 bogeys. Although she started shakily with bogeys on holes 1 and 2, she changed the momentum by making "two pairs of stepping-stone birdies" on holes 5, 7, and 9. In the back nine, she briefly took the top spot on the leaderboard by making a "chip-in eagle" on the 16th hole (par 5). However, she faltered with bogeys on the 17th hole (par 3) and 18th hole (par 4). Her fairway hit rate was an outstanding 92.86%, and she made 26 putts.

Haena Green is making a chip shot on the 8th hole on the third day of the Palos Verdes Championship. Palos Verdes Estates, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

She is 3 strokes behind the leader, in a position to aim for her 22nd career victory, her first in 1 year and 2 months since winning the Kia Classic last March. Green posted a messy scorecard with 1 eagle, 2 birdies, and 5 bogeys. Although she lost 1 stroke, she maintained the lead for two consecutive days. Lydia Ko recorded 5 birdies, 2 bogeys, and 1 double bogey. Lexi Thompson (USA), after a long time, swept up 6 birdies (1 bogey), jumping straight into the tie for 3rd group.

For Korea, rookie Choi Hye-jin (23, Lotte) made 3 birdies (1 bogey). She is looking for a comeback from a tie for 12th place, 4 strokes behind (4-under par 209). On the other hand, world No. 1 Ko Jin-young (27) struggled with 2-over par and fell into this group. She made 1 birdie and 3 bogeys. Kang Hye-ji (32) is tied for 30th (2-under par 211), and Park Hee-young (35, Isu Group), Choi Woon-jung (32, Volvik), and Hong Ye-eun (20, CJ OnStyle) are tied for 46th (1-over par 214).

Ko Jin-young is watching her ball after her second shot on the 7th hole on the third day of the Palos Verdes Championship. Palos Verdes Estates, USA = Getty Images / Multibits