Minji Lee '2-shot lead' "A long-awaited chance to win has come"

Kroger Queen City Championship 3R 7-Under 65
Hull and Zenbeiwin Tied 2nd, Inruining Tied 8th
Im Miyang and Choi Hyejin Tied 15th, Anna Lin 39th

Lee Minji has seized a rare opportunity to win.

On the 9th (local time), at the Kenwood Country Club Kendale Course (par 72, 6,515 yards) in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, Lee shot a 7-under 65 in the third round of the LPGA Tour Kroger Queen City Championship (total prize money $2 million), soaring to the top of the leaderboard at 15-under 201. Charlie Hull (England) and Yan Beiwen (Taiwan) are tied for second place at 13-under 203, chasing closely behind.

Minji Lee is preparing to putt on the 18th hole of the third round at the Kroger Queen City Championship. [Cincinnati, USA=AFP·Yonhap News]

Starting from a tie for 7th place, 6 strokes behind, Lee Minji swept up 7 birdies without a single bogey. She started off strong with three consecutive birdies on holes 1 to 3, added back-to-back birdies on holes 10 and 11 to jump into the winner’s race, and then secured two more birdies on holes 15 and 16 to claim the top spot on the leaderboard. She powered her round with a 301-yard long drive and 25 ‘stingy’ putts. Leading by 2 strokes, this marks her 9th career victory, her first in 1 year and 3 months since winning the major US Women’s Open last June.

Lee Minji had a somewhat sluggish season this year. She only made the ‘top 10’ twice, dropping to 23rd in the money rankings ($889,936). Her best result this season was a runner-up finish at the Cognizant Founders Cup in May, where she entered the final round with a 3-stroke lead but was overtaken by Ko Jin-young. Lee said, “It’s good to make a lot of birdies, but sinking crucial par putts was even more important.”

Hull reduced the gap by 4 strokes, setting the stage for a comeback. Yan Beiwen, who was the leader the previous day, lost a stroke with 6 birdies, 5 bogeys, and 1 double bogey. Inbee Park (China), who will become world No. 1 if she finishes in solo 4th place or higher, faltered to a tie for 8th at 9-under 207. Korean players Lee Mi-hyang and Choi Hye-jin are tied for 15th at 6-under 210, Ahn Na-rin is tied for 39th at 2-under 214, and Yoo Hae-ran and Shin Ji-eun are tied for 47th at 1-under 215, all falling outside the top 10.

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