Iyewon Lee Leads for Three Days... 'Wire to Wire Victory GO~'

Leading the Major Hanwha Classic through 3R
Park Ji-young and Lee Ga-young chase in joint 2nd place, 2 strokes behind
Hwang Yu-min 4th, Park Hyun-kyung 10th, Yoon Ina 22nd

Lee Ye-won seized the chance for a 'wire-to-wire' victory.

Lee Ye-won is putting on the 4th hole of the 3rd round of the Hanwha Classic.
[Photo by KLPGA]

On the 24th, at the Jade Palace Golf Club (par 72) in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, during the third round of the third major tournament of the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour season, the Hanwha Classic (total prize money 1.7 billion KRW), she lost one stroke but maintained a 2-stroke lead (11 under par 205). Starting with a 5-stroke lead, she recorded 2 birdies and 3 bogeys. Leading for three consecutive days, she is in a perfect position for victory.

Lee Ye-won, who has won six times so far, experienced a 'wire-to-wire' victory once before at the NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship last May. With four wins this season, she leads the wins category and is also close to surpassing 1 billion KRW in season earnings. Lee said, "I didn't trust my shot feel and couldn't make confident shots. I played golf trying to protect my lead, which is why I struggled. I couldn't create birdie opportunities and missed the rare birdie chances that came my way." She added, "On the final 18th hole (par 5), I played aggressively aiming for a birdie. It was a good finish that allows me to face the final round with confidence. I will definitely achieve a wire-to-wire victory."

Park Ji-young and Lee Ga-young are tied for second place (9 under par 207), eyeing a chance to overtake the lead. Park said, "Until yesterday, I played cautiously aiming just to make the cut, but today I decided to play my shots more aggressively as I practiced. I am satisfied with both my ranking and performance. Tomorrow, my goal is to focus on my swing rather than the ranking."

Hwang Yu-min and Choi Min-kyung rose to a tie for fourth place (8 under par 208). An Song-yi, who was second after Lee Ye-won the previous day, lost one stroke and dropped to a tie for seventh place (6 under par 210). Park Hyun-kyung, who shares the lead in wins (3) along with Lee Ye-won and leads in prize money and the Player of the Year race, will start the final round tied for tenth place (5 under par 211). Park Min-ji and Lim Hee-jung are also in this group. Yoon Ina lost one stroke and fell to a tie for 22nd place (2 under par 214).