Dongmin Lee and Sungho Yoon "Side by Side at the Top"

Woosung General Construction 3R Lee Dong-min's '3rd Career Win' Milestone
Yoon Sung-ho's First Victory Challenge
Top Points Leader Kim Min-gyu Tied 16th, Defending Champion Park Sang-hyun Tied 23rd

Lee Dong-min is teeing off at the 9th hole of the 3rd round of the Woosung General Construction Open. Photo by KPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] Veteran Lee Dong-min (37) took one step closer to his third career win on the Korean Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Korean Tour.

On the 13th, Lee Dong-min shot 2-under 70 in the third round of the Woosung Construction Open (total prize money 700 million KRW) held at the South Links Yeongam Kyle Phillips Course (par 72, 7,557 yards) in Yeongam-gun, Jeollanam-do. He recorded six birdies, two bogeys, and one double bogey.

He rose to a tie for first place (13-under 203) alongside national team member Yoon Sung-ho (26), who made six birdies and only one bogey.

Lee, who was tied for second place until the previous day, reduced three strokes in the front nine with four birdies and one bogey. Although he stumbled with a double bogey on the 11th hole (par 4) due to a putting mistake, he bounced back by making consecutive birdies on the 15th and 16th holes, climbing to the top of the leaderboard.

Lee Dong-min said, "I played better than expected in the front nine, but I regret the mistakes I made on the 9th and 11th holes with my second shot using a 4-iron." He added, "The weather was hot throughout the tournament, which was physically exhausting, but I will do my best with one day left."

Yoon Sung-ho is making an iron shot on the 11th hole of the 3rd round at the Woosung General Construction Open. Photo by KPGA

Yoon Sung-ho lowered his score by five strokes that day, seizing his first-ever chance to win.

Since debuting on the KPGA Korean Tour in 2018, Yoon had emerged as a promising player after finishing runner-up at the Huons Celebrity Pro-Am, but he suffered a slump in 2020, missing the cut in all 11 tournaments he entered.

"Since the main sponsor HuSem came on board starting with the Honors K·Solago CC Han Jang-sang Invitational, which was the last tournament of the first half of the year, I have felt much more at ease," he explained. Marking a turning point, Yoon ended a streak of seven consecutive missed cuts and finished tied for 14th.

Yoon Sung-ho said, "My long wedge shots were going well, allowing me to make several birdies. I approach every hole with the mindset of just making par, but when an opportunity arises, I will definitely seize it."

Kim Chan-woo (23), who led alone after the second round, dropped to a tie for fifth place (10-under 206) after shooting 2-over par that day. Kim Min-gyu (21), the current points leader for the Player of the Year, is tied for 16th (8-under 208). Last year's champion Park Sang-hyun (39) improved by one stroke to tie for 23rd place (7-under 209).