Kim Hyo-joo Ties for Lead... 'Challenge, First Korean Victory This Year~'

Ford Championship 3R Additional 3 Under Par
Tsamdawa Shumelzel Tied for Lead, Saso 4th
Korda, Lydia Ko, Kim Sei-young Tied 6th

World No. 9 Kim Hyo-joo has a chance to win.

Kim Hyo-joo is teeing off at the 11th hole during the third round of the Ford Championship. [Phoenix, USA = AFP·Yonhap News]

On the 30th (local time), at the Seville Golf and Country Club (par 72, 6,734 yards) in Gilbert, Arizona, USA, during the third round of the LPGA Tour Ford Championship (total prize money $2.2 million), Kim shot a 3-under 69 to leap into a tie for the lead (15-under 201). Carlota Ciganda (Spain) and Sarah Schmelzel (USA) joined this group. Yuuka Saso (Japan) and Maja Stark (Sweden) are tied for 4th place, one stroke behind (14-under 202).

Starting from a tie for 4th place, two strokes behind, Kim Hyo-joo made three birdies without any bogeys. Her concentration was evident as she reduced three strokes in the first four holes, with consecutive birdies on holes 1 and 2 and another birdie on hole 4 (par 3). It was regrettable that she could not add any more birdies in the following 14 holes. Rising to a tie for the lead by one stroke, she is poised for her seventh career win, her first in five months since the Ascendant LPGA last October.

Ciganda took the top of the leaderboard with two eagles and three birdies (one bogey). She debuted in 2012 and has two career wins. Her last victory was at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in November 2016. Schmelzel, who joined the LPGA Tour in 2019 and has yet to win, added two under par to place herself among the leaders. She is on an upward trend with three consecutive top-10 finishes in recent tournaments.

World No. 1 Nelly Korda (USA), Lydia Ko (New Zealand), Lexi Thompson (USA), Kim Se-young, Lee Mi-hyang, and Anna Lin are tied for 6th place, two strokes behind (13-under 203), eyeing a comeback. Hannah Green (Australia), who led the previous day, lost three strokes and dropped to a tie for 21st place (11-under 205). Shin Ji-eun is tied for 29th (10-under 206), while Kim In-kyung and Lim Jin-hee finished the third round tied for 35th (9-under 207).