Shin Ji-ae Ties for Lead... "Saw Only 8 Birdies?"

Per Hills Park Seri Championship 3R 8-Under Par Excitement
Allison Lee Tied for Lead, In Ruoning and Korda Tied for 3rd
Shin Ji-eun 15th, Lim Jin-hee 26th, Kim Hyo-joo 40th

Shin Ji-ae has seized the opportunity to win on the US stage.

Shin Ji-ae cheers after making a birdie on the 16th hole of the third round at the Pure Hills Park Se-ri Championship. [Palos Verdes Estates, USA=Photo by AFP·Yonhap News]

On the 23rd (local time), at the Palos Verdes Golf Club (par 71, 6,447 yards) in Palos Verdes Estates, California, USA, during the third round of the LPGA Tour Pure Silk Seashore Park Se-ri Pak Championship (total prize money $2 million), she shot an 8-under-par 63 to leap into a tie for the lead (9-under-par 204). Korean-American Alison Lee (USA) also added a 3-under-par 68 to join this group.

Starting from a tie for 33rd place the previous day, Shin Ji-ae swept up 8 birdies without any bogeys. She made five consecutive birdies from holes 3 to 7, followed by back-to-back birdies on holes 15 and 16, and added another birdie on the final 18th hole (par 4). Her 100% fairway hit rate and 25 putts during the round stood out. Leading by two strokes in a tie for first place, she is poised for her 12th LPGA Tour victory since the 2013 ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open.

Shin Ji-ae mainly competes on the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association (JLPGA) Tour. She is a veteran with a total of 64 professional wins, including 20 wins on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour and 11 wins on the LPGA Tour. She also has a chance to boost her prospects for the Paris Olympics this August. Each country is allocated two spots based on Olympic rankings. Players ranked within the top 15 in the world can have up to four participants from a single nationality. Shin Ji-ae, ranked 18th in the world, is the fourth after Ko Jin-young (6th), Kim Hyo-joo (9th), and Yang Hee-young (14th). She said, "My reason for wanting to participate in this tournament was to tell senior Park Se-ri that I want to compete in the Olympics," adding, "To achieve this goal, I am traveling around the world competing in tournaments in Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Japan, and elsewhere."

In Luoning (China) recorded a triple bogey on the final 18th hole, dropping to a tie for third place (7-under-par 206). World No. 2 Nelly Korda (USA) is also in this group. Among Korean players, Shin Ji-eun is tied for 15th (4-under-par 209), Lim Jin-hee tied for 26th (3-under-par 210), and Lee Mi-hyang tied for 32nd (2-under-par 211). Kim Hyo-joo remained tied for 40th (1-under-par 212).

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