South Korean amateur sensation Oh Soo-min stands on the cusp of achieving a remarkable maiden victory on the KLPGA Tour at the Hana Financial Group Singapore Women’s Open – if everything goes according to her plan.
Related: Kim Jae-hee beats weather to take Singapore Women’s Open lead
The 16-year-old continued her stellar performance this week, notching seven birdies, including two on her closing holes, against a lone bogey, to card a six-under-par 66 at Tanah Merah Country Club on Saturday.
This propelled Oh to a commanding three-shot lead, with a three-day total of 14-under 202, atop the leaderboard after her closest competitor and compatriot, Bang Shin-sil, unexpectedly missed a makeable par putt on the final hole.
Bang settled for a 70, slipping to a share of second place on 205 with fellow Korean Kim Jae-hee, who relinquished her 36-hole lead after managing only a 71.
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Starting the third round two shots off the pace, Oh made a strong start by picking up shots on the second and sixth holes to claim the top spot.
After the turn, she added three more birdies on holes 12, 13, and 15 before conceding her first bogey of the week when her par putt lipped out on the 16th hole.
To her credit, she displayed remarkable mental resilience beyond her years, quickly recovering from the setback and finishing strongly.
With this unexpected lead, Oh now dares to dream big as she aims to convert her first-time lead in a KLPGA Tour event into a triumphant victory.
She could potentially become the first amateur to secure victory on the KLPGA Tour since Choi Hye-jin, who clinched two titles – the ChoJung Sparkling Water Yongpyong Resort Open and the Bogner-MBN Ladies Open – while still competing as an amateur.
“It’s the first time that I’m on top of the leaderboard in a professional tournament like this, so it feels very surreal,” said Oh, who has her father, Oh Hwan-ki, caddying for her.
“I don’t know if I can actually win but I think tomorrow if I’m more relaxed, I may get some good results.
“I’m actually very happy with my results today. I did better than what I had originally thought.
“During tomorrow’s round, I just need to be calm because sometimes I rush things, so if I pace myself well, I can have a good game tomorrow.”
If there’s one motivating factor that fueled her excellent performance today, it would likely be the chance to play alongside major winner Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand.
A starstruck Oh wasted no time in asking Patty for a photograph together after they both submitted their scores to the scorekeepers.
“I was starstruck (to play with Patty), it was like seeing a celebrity because she’s been playing great golf so I really wanted to have a chance to meet her. So it was great to play with her,” said Oh.
Patty will head into the finale four shots back of Oh after she three-putted the final hole to post a 70.
Joining her in a five-way tie for fourth on 10-under overall include the Korean quartet of Jeong Yun-ji (67), Ro Seung-hui (68), Hwang You-min (70) and Park Do-eun (71).
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Jeong, who finished solo fifth in the inaugural edition in December 2022, has vowed to contend on the final day and looks forward to starting the KLPGA campaign in the best possible fashion.
“As you know, the Hana Financial Group Singapore Women’s Open is the season opener of the KLPGA Tour so I really wanted to start the season great,” said Jeong.
“Initially, I was just looking to make the cut, but now that I’ve succeeded, I see rounds three and four as a chance for a fresh start.
“I’m very happy with my game and with my iron shots, I made a lot of opportunities for myself so I was very confident with my gameplay and I was able to aggressively tackle the course.”
