KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Maintaining the lead she has held since the opening round and looking for her first win on the LPGA Tour, Hye-Jin Choi will take a four-stroke advantage into the final round of the Maybank Championship after shooting a 5-under 67 Saturday.
Choi, who played on the South Korea team in last week’s International Crown, had a 54-hole total of 19-under 197 on the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country club course. She started the day with a five-stroke lead.
The 26-year-old Choi has 28 career top-10 finishes and placed second at the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open as a 17-year-old amateur.
It is the first time in her career she has led after the first three rounds of play and the third time she has led a tournament heading into the final round. The previous two times she finished runner-up.
“I’ve been waiting for this a really long and I’m going to try my best tomorrow,” Choi said. “I think I will feel like I’m making the dream and I just imagine on it. I’m just looking for a victory tomorrow.”
China’s Yan Liu (65) was in second place after a bogey-free round and Hannah Green, a member of the winning Australia team at the International Crown last weekend, was in third after a 67, four strokes behind Choi.
A Lim Kim was the biggest mover with a 64 that left her in a tie for fourth place, six strokes off the lead. Kim’s round included an eagle on 18 and six birdies.
“It was a great shot, but improbable,” Kim said of her 25-foot eagle putt on 18. She started her round with four birdies in five holes.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul, a runner-up in Malaysia the last two years, shot 65 and was also in a fourth-place tie. She birdied her last three holes Saturday.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s good,” said Thitikul. She credited her many fans in the gallery for their support, saying again the venue was like a “mini-Thailand” for her.
Defending champion Ruoning Yin shot 69 and was in seventh place, seven strokes behind Choi and tied with New Zealander Lydia Ko (68). Brooke Henderson shot 68 and was 11 strokes behind.
Next week, the LPGA ends its five-week Asian swing with the Japan Classic at Shiga.
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