Park Hyejun edged closer to a wire-to-wire victory at the Hana Financial Group Championship after carding a four-under-par 68 on Saturday to maintain her lead against her more illustrious rivals heading into the final round.
Related: Minjee Lee stays close to summit in Korea
The 22-year-old is chasing her second win on the KLPGA following her breakthrough at the LOTTE Open in July this year and now stands on the brink of another triumph.
Facing an elite field that includes World No 3 Lydia Ko and World No 4 Minjee Lee, Park held her own, compiling rounds of 69, 70 and 68 for a three-day total of nine-under-par 207 and a three-shot cushion over compatriots Yoo Hyunjo and Lee Dayeon.
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Meanwhile, Lee remained in the hunt after returning a 71 to share fourth place with Sung Yujin, four shots back of Park. But Ko’s hopes faded with a disappointing 74 that dropped her into a tie for 37th, 13 shots off the pace at Bear’s Best Cheongna Golf Club in Incheon.
With one round left to play, Park has the opportunity to seal a memorable wire-to-wire win and further cement her growing reputation as one of the rising stars on the KLPGA Tour. However, she remains unfazed by that prospect and prefers to stay grounded.
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“I think the key will be to stay focused on myself, not on others. Like today, I want to keep things light, have fun conversations with my caddie, and concentrate on my shot-making. As long as I stay present and trust my game, I believe a good result will follow,” said Park.
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“I think the most important thing is to keep the same mindset I’ve had for the past three days. I’ve played really well so far, so if I just stay steady and focused, I believe I have a good chance tomorrow. Honestly, I try not to dwell too much on the idea of winning — I think that helps take the pressure off.”
