INCHEON, South Korea: Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn is one shot off the lead heading into the final round on Sunday of the KEB Hana Bank Championship.
The Thai world No.2 had four birdies and a bogey on Saturday to finish at 3 under par for the day and 11 under after three rounds. That left her one shot back of Charley Hull of Britain and American Danielle Kang.
World No.1 Park Sung-hyun of South Korea ended the day at 9 under for the tournament, after an erratic round that featured six birdies but also three bogeys and one double-bogey. She and Ariya, the only players to win three tournaments on the LPGA tour this year, had been tied for the lead with Hull and Kang after the second round.
Ariya said after her round that she should have maintained a better focus.
“I have a lot of things to work on,” she said. “I missed some shots and started to think about making birdies and catching the leader and that's not helping. I have to try not to think too far ahead.”
If Ariya can remain ahead of her Korean rival, she has a good chance of reclaiming top spot when the world rankings are updated on Monday. With 13 top-10 finishes this year, she already holds a huge lead over the rest of the field in money earned, with $2.26 million so far this year.
Sunday promises to be a battle, with three more strong contenders just a stroke behind Ariya: former world No. 1 Lydia Ko of New Zealand, sixth-ranked Minjee Lee of Australia and Chun In-gee of Korea.
The KEB Hana Bank tournament is the first event in the LPGA swing through Asia with stops in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and China.
