Yang Hee-young Takes Lead "Go for Victory After 4 Years and 4 Months"

Yang Hee-young Fires 5-Under Par in 3rd Round of Meyer Classic
Buhai and Lin Xiwei Chase in a Tie for 2nd Place
Kim Hyo-joo and Jutanugarn, Maguire Tied for 5th Place

It is a winning opportunity for veteran Yang Hee-young.

On the 17th (local time), Yang Hee-young surged to the lead (15-under 201) by shooting 5-under in the third round of the LPGA Tour Meijer Classic (total prize money $2.5 million) held at Blythefield Country Club (par 72, 6,581 yards) in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. Ashley Buhai (South Africa), the winner of last week's ShopRite Classic, Lin Xiyu (China), and Ayaka Furue (Japan) are tied for second place (14-under 202) with three players.

Yang Hee-young is reading the putt line on the 18th hole of the third round at the Meijer Classic. [Grand Rapids, USA=AFP·Yonhap News]

Starting from a tie for second place, one stroke behind the leader, Yang Hee-young recorded seven birdies and two bogeys. She gained momentum with birdies on holes 4, 6, 8, and 10, but faltered briefly with bogeys on holes 11 and 13. However, after a birdie on the 14th hole (par 5), she secured the top spot on the leaderboard with consecutive birdies on holes 17 and 18. Her average drive distance of 281 yards and fairway accuracy of 84.62% stood out. Rising to a one-stroke lead, she seized the chance for her fifth career victory, her first in four years and four months since winning the Honda Thailand in February 2019. Her best result this year was a tie for fourth at the Chevron Championship in April, a major tournament.

Buhai reduced her score by six strokes and is eyeing back-to-back wins. Kim Hyo-joo added 3-under to move into a tie for fifth place, two strokes behind (13-under 203). Ariya Jutanugarn (Thailand) and Leona Maguire (Ireland) also joined this group. Defending champion Jennifer Kupcho (USA) is tied for eighth place (12-under 204). Ji Eun-hee, Choi Hye-jin, and Minjee Lee (Australia) are tied for 13th place (9-under 207), while Brooke Henderson (Canada) is tied for 39th place (5-under 211).

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