The competition to win the Chevron Championship (total prize money of $8 million), the first major tournament of the U.S. LPGA Tour season, is being pursued by the U.S. and China amid a bilateral match between Korea and Japan.
Yoo Hae-ran made five birdies and one bogey in the third round of the tournament held at The Club at Carlton Woods (par 72) in The Carlton Woods, Texas, on the 27th (Korea time). Yoo Hae-ran, who recorded a total of 9 under 207 on the 3rd day, is tied for the lead with Saigo Mao (Japan) to compete for the championship on the last day. Following this, Lindy Duncan of the U.S. shot 8-under 208 to join Yoo Hae-ran and Mao in the championship group, tied for third place by one stroke. Liu Yan (China) and Sarah Schmitzel (US) both scored 7-under 209 strokes, tying for fourth.
Yoo Hae-ran, who started the first round as the lead, lost a stroke in the second round and fell in the rankings, but he took a joint lead by reducing four strokes again on the day, approaching his first major victory.
Yoo Hae-ran, who played in the first hole, slowed down by watching in the third hole (par 3). However, he recovered by making his first birdie of the day at the 4th hole (par 5), followed by four consecutive birdie marches from the 6th hole (par 4) to the 9th hole (par 4) and quickly became the top of the leaderboard.
Among the five players in the leading group, Yoo had the most experience and was the only one to win the LPGA Tour. After making her KLPGA Tour debut in 2019 and winning five titles in total, Yoo moved to the LPGA Tour in 2023 and added two wins at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship and the 2024 FM Championship to win seven titles in total professional career.
Yoo also played in the champion's group on the last day of the championship last year. Yoo finished fifth by posting a 2-over 74 on the last day.
"Golf is difficult, and every day is different, and that is the key to golf," Yoo said after the game. "However, that is a good key to enjoying golf. It is important to concentrate on tomorrow as well," Yoo said, preparing for the last day of the game. "I played in the last day of the championship group last year, but I didn't enjoy it enough," Yoo said. "There will be pressure on the last day, but I think it will be a very important goal in my golf life and will be a good pressure because I don't have a major championship trophy at home."
Mao, who co-led with Yoo Hae-ran, debuted on the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association (JLPGA) Tour in 2020, won five times in 2022 and one win in 2023, before advancing to the LPGA Tour. She played in 29 games last year and recorded seven top-10 finishes without winning, and participated in seven competitions this year, tied for fifth place in the Blue Bay LPGA in March.
Lindy Duncup is a 34-year-old veteran with 12 years of experience in this year's tour. However, she has no championship experience and has ranked in top 10 in nine competitions. In this competition, she is playing a bogey-free game for 30 holes since Hole 6 in the second round.
Sarah Schmitzel also has no experience in winning the title yet. She has 16 top-10 finishes since her debut in 2019. The world ranking is 65th, higher than the Duncup ranked 116th.
Liu Yan is a rookie who made her debut last year. After going through the second part of the Epson Tour, she successfully entered the LPGA Tour last year. Her personal best record so far is tied for third place at the ShopRite Classic last year. In this competition, she shot 7-under 65 on the first day, and has continued her race to win by recording even par in the second and third rounds.
Choi Hye-jin recorded a 6-under 201 until the third round, tied for sixth place, continuing her hope of winning the upset. Kim Hyo-joo lost two shots on the day, but tied for 11th (5-under 211) and still has the possibility of turning the tables. Chun In-gee, who will succeed in the career Grand Slam if she wins this tournament, will play on the last day of the tournament by tying for 15th with a 4-under 212 total. 카지노
Yoon Na-na shot 4 over 76 in the third round alone, recording a median total of 3 over 219, falling to a tie for 51st place.