Hanjinseon Seizes First Major Tournament Victory Opportunity

Hite Jinro Championship 3R, Leading Alone at 4 Under Par
Kim Suji 2nd by 1 Stroke... Park Sung-hyun, Park Minji Tied for 3rd at 2 Under Par

Hanjin-seon is taking a second shot on the 3rd hole of the 3rd round at the Hite Jinro Championship. Photo by KLPGA

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seo-hee] Han Jin-seon (25) aims for her first major tournament victory.

On the 8th, at the Blue Heron Golf Club (par 72) in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, Han Jin-seon recorded 4 birdies and 1 bogey for a 3-under-par 69 in the third round of the KLPGA Tour Hite Jinro Championship, rising to sole first place with a total score of 4-under-par 212.

Han Jin-seon surged to the lead by consecutively making birdies on holes 2, 4, and 8 in the front nine. She added another birdie on the 11th hole (par 3) in the back nine, extending her lead to 3 strokes over the second-place group at one point. She played perfectly up to the 16th hole but made her only bogey of the day on the 17th hole (par 4), which was a blemish. Han Jin-seon claimed her first career victory last August at the High1 Resort Ladies Open.

However, with top-tier players crowded in the 2nd and 3rd place groups, a win is not guaranteed easily.

Right behind Han Jin-seon is defending champion Kim Su-ji (26), who is aiming for her third consecutive win. Kim struggled to lower her score with alternating birdies and bogeys but added a crucial birdie on the final 18th hole (par 5). With a total score of 3-under-par 213, she trails Han Jin-seon by just one stroke.

In the tied 3rd place group are Park Sung-hyun (29), returning to the domestic stage after a year and aiming for a win, and Park Min-ji (24), the undisputed domestic top player, both maintaining a 2-stroke gap from the leader.

Park Sung-hyun started with a precise iron shot birdie on the 1st hole but lost a stroke with a bogey on the 5th hole (par 3), then made a birdie on the 9th hole (par 4) to finish the front nine. She maintained her score with a bogey on the 10th hole and a birdie on the 14th hole, faced a challenge on the 15th hole (par 4), but succeeded in a long par putt, ultimately reducing her score by one stroke for the day and finishing tied 3rd with a total of 2-under-par 214.

Park Min-ji faced difficulties early with a bogey-birdie-birdie-bogey sequence in the first four holes and exchanged a birdie on the 7th hole for a bogey on the 8th. However, she recorded consecutive birdies on the 9th and 10th holes and finished the remaining holes with pars, posting a 2-under-par 70 for the day. Her total score after three rounds is tied with Park Sung-hyun at 2-under-par 214.

Jeong Yoon-ji (22) and Bae So-hyun (29), who were co-leaders the previous day, shot 3-over-par 75 and dropped to a tie for 5th place (1-under-par 215) along with Lim Hee-jeong (22).

Meanwhile, this tournament’s challenging course setup and deep rough have resulted in only seven players recording under-par scores through three rounds. With just a 6-stroke difference between 1st place and tied 10th place, fierce competition among the top players is expected on the final day for the championship.

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