'Desert Fox' Lim Hee-jeong Leads by 6 Shots: "Major Victory in Sight" ... Defending Champ Park Min-ji in 2nd Place

'National Title' Korean Women's Open Day 3: 6-Under Surge, Final Day Showdown in Champion Group, Hong Jeong-min 7th

Im Hee-jung is teeing off at the 1st hole on the third day of the Korean Women's Open.

[Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] ‘Desert Fox’ Lim Hee-jeong (22, Korea Land & Trust) has secured a major victory.

On the 18th, at the Rainbow Hills Golf Course in Eumseong, Chungbuk (Par 72, 6,763 yards), during the third day of the KLPGA Tour’s ‘National Title’ Korea Women's Open (total prize money 1.2 billion KRW), she surged with a 6-under-par round to take a commanding 6-stroke lead (16-under-par 200 strokes). Defending champion Park Min-ji (24, NH Investment & Securities), Lee Ga-young (23), Noh Seung-hee (22), Kim Hee-jun (22), and Choi Hye-yong (32) are locked in a tough chase, tied for second place at 10-under-par 206 strokes.

Lim Hee-jeong is a leading star who has reached four career wins, including last August’s High1 Resort Ladies Open victory. In the 2021 season, she played 28 events with one win and 15 top-10 finishes, demonstrating remarkable consistency. She has fewer wins despite finishing second and third three times each. However, this year she has not yet returned to full form after a traffic accident in April, withdrawing from three early events and missing the cut once. Her third-place finish at the May Doosan Match Play was impressive.

This tournament, she has been on fire with 4-under-par in the first round and 6-under-par in both the second and third rounds. She has already surpassed the 54-hole record low score of 15-under-par 201 strokes set by Park Min-ji last year, and if she adds 2-under-par or better on the final day, she will break the 72-hole record low score of 17-under-par 271 strokes held by Oh Ji-hyun (26, Daebang Construction) in 2018 and Park Min-ji last year. “I will shoot in the 60s again tomorrow,” she said, adding, “Even with a 6-stroke lead, I cannot relax,” showing her fighting spirit.

Park Min-ji is walking along the 10th hole on the third day of the Korean Women's Open.

Park Min-ji succeeded in defending her titles at the NH Investment & Securities Ladies and the Celltrion Queens Masters on the 12th of last month, aiming to defend three tournament titles in a single KLPGA season for the first time in 40 years. Lim Hee-jeong, Park Min-ji, and Noh Seung-hee will face off in the champion group on the final day. ‘Match Queen’ Hong Jeong-min (20, CJ OnStyle) is tied for 7th place (9-under-par 207 strokes), and Lim Jin-hee (24) surged to a tie for 9th place (8-under-par 208 strokes) after making a hole-in-one on the 11th hole (par 3).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.