"Too Difficult, Really Difficult" Will Hong Ji-won Become the 'Overpower Winner' After 7 Years?

Hong Ji-won Leads Hanwha Classic 3R at 1 Over Par
Under-Par Scorers Drop from 4 to 0
Jung Yoon-ji and Ha Min-song Tied 2nd at 3 Shots Back, Park Min-ji Tied 4th

Hong Ji-won is teeing off at the 2nd hole of the 3rd round of the Hanwha Classic. Photo by KLPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter Seohee Lee] Hong Ji-won (22) took the lead on the third day of the Hanwha Classic (total prize money 1.4 billion KRW), the third major tournament of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour season. Due to the so-called 'Devil's Course,' where even top players make consecutive mistakes, attention is focused on whether an 'over-par winner' will emerge for the first time in seven years on the KLPGA Tour.

On the 27th, Hong Ji-won shot 2-over-par 74, including 2 birdies and 4 bogeys, in the third round held at Jade Palace Golf Club (par 72, 6,777 yards) in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. With a total score of 1-over-par 217, she took the top spot on the leaderboard. Jung Yoon-ji (22) struggled with 5-over-par 77, and Ha Min-song (26) with 4-over-par 76. Both players are tied for second place, 3 strokes behind, at 4-over-par 220.

Hong Ji-won, who finished the front nine at 1-under-par, collapsed sharply in the back nine. She made three bogeys on the 14th hole (par 5), 17th hole (par 4), and 18th hole (par 5). The number of players with under-par scores, which was four until the previous day, dropped to none.

Hong Ji-won, who debuted on the regular tour last year, has a strong chance of lifting her first career trophy. She said, "The rough got longer and the wind blew a lot more than in the qualifiers, so it was tough. I tried my best to play safely, and as a result, I think I recorded fewer bogeys."

She added, "Looking back, I think I have performed well on difficult and challenging courses so far," and said, "I am confident that I can play better than other players on a course with so many variables."

On this day, the strong wind made it even harder for the players. Park Min-ji (24), the 'domestic number one,' lost 4 strokes but jumped 6 places to tie for 4th place (6-under-par 222). Kim Ji-hyun (31) and Kim Ji-young (26) lost 8 strokes each and fell to a tie for 7th place (7-over-par 223).