South Korea’s Kim Hyo-joo took a slender one-shot lead into the last round of the Evian Championship after a day of slip-ups and mishaps at the final major of the season. Teenager Kim, who shot a record 61 in the first round, had a second successive 72 to finish on eight-under-par, one ahead of seasoned veteran Karrie Webb on 206 and two better than fellow South Korean Hur Mi-jung.
Webb, a seven-time major champion, kept her cool on a day made difficult by some tricky pin positions that suggested the organizers wanted to get their own back for Kim’s opening 10-under-par round. The 2006 Evian champion opened with a birdie and finished in style with another at the 18th from 15 feet.
“I’m just happy to be in this position. It’s been a while,” Webb said.
“I was proud of the way I scrambled today and I’ve got a lot of friends here so it would be great to win my eighth major tomorrow,” she added.
Kim had five bogeys and four birdies, and the majority of the field had tales of woe. Hur was sharing the lead until she hit her second shot into water and took a triple-bogey six at the short 16th.
“It was a hard day, but I played solid,” said Hur, the three-time winner on this seasons’s South Korean LPGA Tour.
Suzann Pettersen had a double bogey at the 17th and finished with a 74 for three-under-par and the same mark as world No. 1 Stacy Lewis.
For halfway leader Brittany Lincicome, the round started horribly with two double-bogeys and it got even worse with an eight at the par-five eighth in an outward half of 41. The 28-year-old salvaged a 77 and is not far off the lead at four behind Kim on four-under-par.
“There is so much silly sand in these bunkers. It’s impossible to get it out,” Lincicome said.
The best round of the day was a four-under-par 67 from South Korea’s Choi Na-yeon. It lifted her into a tie for sixth on four-under-par.
Taiwan’s Candie Kung was in a share of 23rd after a third-round 71 put her on 214 for the tournament.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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