"I won't give up till the end." 'Rank 0th place for rookie king'Yoo Hyun-jo, winning his first major championship? 3R's solo leader...Sung Yu-jin, who cut 8 strokes, came in 2nd place by 1 stroke

Sep 07, 2024

Yoo Hyun-jo KB Financial Star Championship 3R 5th hole tee shot

The KB Financial Group Star Championship, a KLPGA major tournament where a fierce battle is taking place.

The third round was also followed by a no-concessions shot match, raising expectations for the final four-round championship competition.

Super Rookie Yoo Hyun-jo took the lead by one stroke in a shot confrontation with his seniors, making his first career attempt to win a major championship.

In the third round, which continued at Blackstone Icheon Golf Club's North and West Course (par 72) on the 7th, Yoo Hyun-jo cut four shots with four birdies without a bogey to reach an interim total of 10 under par, making the final round the first place by one stroke.

Yoo Hyun-jo, who saved two pars in the first half, maintained the lead by making consecutive birdie marches in the 14th hole (par 4) and the 15th hole (par 5). Yoon Na-na, who was competing for the lead while finishing the remaining three holes with a calm par, lost two shots in the last two holes due to a tee shot miss.

After the third round, Yoo Hyun-jo said, "I recorded a lot of birdies, but I'm satisfied that I didn't have a bogey.' About the 18th hole, which missed a short putt, "There were two short putts, but tomorrow I'm going to make up for the putt and hit it boldly.'

Yoo Hyun-jo KB Financial Star Championship 3R 4th hole green figure

Yoo Hyun-jo KB Financial Star Championship 3R 9th Hall Passave Holout

If Yoo Hyun-jo wins the competition, he will be the first rookie winner of the KB Financial Group Star Championship and the winner of the 10th major competition. So far, there have been nine rookie wins in the KLPGA major tournament. Seven of them have won their first major championships.

"I think it's a good experience, but I think I've found a way to overcome the pain when it collapsed," said Yoo Hyun-jo, who has not been able to overcome the last crisis in his bid to win the championship. "There were times when I let go myself because I didn't play well before." I will not give up until the end now," he said, renewing his determination for the final round. "Protecting the fairway is the primary goal," he said. "I try to keep the fairway as much as I can because there are a lot of risks when I catch a driver" and he said he meant to maintain the Wood tee shot strategy.

Seong Yu-jin KB Financial Star Championship 3R 1st hole second shot

Yoon In-na KB Financial Star Championship 3R 1st hole green figure

Sung Yoo-jin, who made eight birdies without a bogey, entered the race for the title with a total of nine under par in the third round with 64 strokes, the lowest personal hit in the KLPGA tournament this season. Sung Yu-jin, who plays on the LPGA, said "My experience playing on a more difficult course in the U.S. helped me a lot. The Blackstone course has a lot of similar vibes to the U.S. course," he said, expressing his will to challenge for four wins in his career.

Bae So-hyun and Yoon Na-na, who were co-leaders with Yoo Hyun-jo until the second round, each cut two shots and tied for third place with Kim Jae-hee, who cut five shots in the third round.

Kim Soo-ji Hong Jin-young tied for sixth place with a total of six under par, and Hong Jung-min, who was tied for the lead until the second round, lost one shot on the day and fell to a tie for eighth place with Lee Je-young and Hyun Ser-in.

Kim Hyo-joo, who cut one stroke, and Park Ji-young, who finished with even par, tied for 11th with a total of 4 under par.

Lee Ye-won, who lost one shot on the day, tied for 15th with a total of 2 under par in the third round, and Park Hyun-kyung, who started strong with 3 consecutive birdies on the day, later lost four shots with 5 bogeys and 1 double bogey, falling to a tie for 26th with an even par in the interim total.

hschung@sportschosun.com