01전반 9홀 폭풍 타수 줄이기… 선두권 위협하는 최혜진
최혜진이 LPGA 투어 BMW 레이디스 챔피언십에서 압도적인 전반 경기력을 앞세워 우승 경쟁에 본격적으로 합류했다.
이날 최혜진은 전반 9홀에서만 28타를 치는 폭발적인 기량을 선보이며 순위를 단숨에 끌어올렸다.
전반에 거둔 경이로운 성과를 바탕으로 최혜진은 남은 라운드에서도 강력한 우승 후보로서의 존재감을 확실하게 각인시켰다.
02Original (English) — LPGA
Hye-Jin Choi of South Korea plays a shot from the second tee during the third round of the BMW Ladies Championship 2026 at Pine Beach Golf Links on October 24, 2026 in Haenam, South Korea.
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Hye-Jin Choi of the Republic of Korea played the front nine at Pine Beach Golf Links in 8-under 28 and finished with a 6-under 66 on Saturday to move into a tie for second at the BMW Ladies Championship in Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do.
Choi, 27, is 13-under 203 through three rounds, four shots behind leader Haeran Ryu, who stands at 17-under 199 with one round remaining.
Starting the third round T11 at 7-under 137, Choi made six birdies and an eagle on the par-5 sixth over her first nine holes. The run carried her to 15-under at the turn and put pressure on Ryu at the top of the leaderboard.
“I had a really good score on the front nine,” Choi said. “I felt good about my ball-striking early on, so I was able to play confidently and make a lot of birdie putts.”
She added a birdie at the par-4 10th to reach 16-under, but the back nine was bumpier. Choi finished the round with eight birdies, one eagle, two bogeys and a double bogey at the par-5 17th, which cost her momentum down the stretch.
“I missed my second shot on the par-5 17th,” said Choi. “Looking back, I think I misjudged the shot.”
Her ball-striking was the story of the day. Choi hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation and 11 of 14 fairways, averaging 234.0 yards off the tee, and needed 29 putts. Her approach play has been a strength all season: she ranks 14th on the LPGA Tour in strokes gained approach at +0.79 per round and eighth in strokes gained total at +1.51.
Choi has made 18 cuts in 23 starts this season with five top-10 finishes: T8 at Honda LPGA Thailand, T5 at the Blue Bay LPGA, T3 at the Mizuho Americas Open, second at the Dow Championship and solo second last week at the Buick LPGA Shanghai. She is still seeking her first LPGA Tour victory.
With 18 holes left, Choi plans to keep her approach simple.
“Rather than thinking too much about competing for the title, I just want to focus as much as possible on each shot,” she said.