EVIAN CHAMPIONSHIP - LAST OF THE 2014 LADY MAJORS

 HYO-JOO KIM LEADS BY ONE FROM 

KARRIE WEBB WITH A ROUND TO GO

 Hyo-Joo Kim in action today. Picture by Tristan Jones (LET)

 

NEWS RELEASE FROM LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR

FROM BETHAN CUTLER, LET MEDIA MANAGER

Evian-les-Bains, France:  First-round leader Hyo-Joo Kim fired a third-round, one-over-par 72 to regain her lead at the Evian Championship today.

 On a day when tricky gusts and tucked pin positions made the Evian Resort course play much tougher than the first two days, a round containing four birdies and five bogeys saw the 19-year-old South Korean end the day on eight-under-par, one stroke ahead of seven-time major champion Karrie Webb from Australia.

Kim, whose opening round of 10-under 61 was the lowest in major championship history, is now in the prime position to collect a major of her own. “I was calm, but if I win, I will get excited,” Kim said, through translation.

She felt that the par-3 16^th hole was the toughest, because she watched fellow South Korean M J Hur play in the pairing ahead. Hur was leading on nine-under-par after birdies on the fourth and seventh holes, but she triple bogeyed the short 16^th after topping a chip shot and sending the ball across the green into a water hazard.

She dropped in the same place and then took three more strokes for a 6, on the hardest hole on the golf course, playing an average of 3.49 for the championship. 

The 2009 Safeway Classic champion recovered with two steady pars to sign for a 72 and outright third position on six-under-par.

 “I had a good round all day long except the No. 16,” said Hur. “I’m satisfied with this round because the pin positions were so tough all day long.”

The shot of the day was produced by Colombian Mariajo Uribe, who played in bare feet from the water hazard onto the 18^th green, only to miss the putt, resulting in a bogey.  

With matching rounds of 70, she and Swede Anna Nordqvist share fourth position on five-under-par, with Na Yeon Choi, Ha-Na Jang, Lydia Ko and halfway leader Brittany Lincicome all on three-under-par in a tie for sixth position.

The world’s first and second ranked players, Stacy Lewis and Inbee Park respectively, sit in a tie for 10^th place just five strokes from the lead along with the defending champion Suzann Pettersen.

The Norwegian played the front nine in level par and birdied the 10^th but slipped back with bogeys on 11 and 14 and then a double bogey on 17.

While there is an experienced chasing pack, Kim will be paired with LPGA and World Golf Halls of Famer Karrie Webb on Sunday, teeing off in the last group at 1.20pm. 

South  Korean LPGA rookie Kim is playing in her first major, whereas Webb is seeking her eighth major title and if she wins the Evian Championship, she will be the only player to have won all six of the different majors which have existed in her lifetime. 

  THIRD-ROUND SCOREBOARD

   Par 213 (3x71)

205 - Hyo-Joo Kim (SKOR)  61 72 72

206 - Karrie Webb (AUS)  65 71 70

207 - Mi Jung Hur (SKOR)  66 69 72

208 - Anna Nordqvist (SWE)  71 67 70, Mariajo Uribe (COL)  68 70 70

209 - Lydia Ko (NZL)  69 68 72, Brittany Lincicome (USA)  67 65 77, Na Yeon Choi (SKOR)  70 72 67, Ha-Na Jang (SKOR)  70 71 68

210 - Inbee Park (SKOR)  69 72 69, Suzann Pettersen (NOR)  67 69 74, Stacy Lewis (USA)  70 67 73

211 - Lexi Thompson (USA)  70 70 71, I K Kim (SKOR)  69 69 73

212 - Paula Creamer (USA)  69 71 72, Ayako Uehara (JPN)  69 73 70, Moriya Jutanugarn (THA)  69 68 75, Minjee Lee (AUS)  72 67 73

213 - Karine Icher (FRA)  68 73 72, Julieta Granada (PAR)  68 72 73, Jane Park (USA)  74 72 67, Shanshan Feng (CHN)  70 70 73

214 - Charley Hull (ENG)  71 73 70, Amelia Lewis (USA)  70 76 68, Candie Kung (TPE)  69 74 71, Sun Young Yoo (SKOR)  76 68 70, Line Vedel (DEN)  70 72 72, Hee Young Park (SKOR)  72 70 72, Azahara Munoz (ESP)  70 72 72

215 - Jing Yan (CHN)  71 75 69, Ji Young Oh (SKOR)  73 71 71, Lizette Salas (USA)  69 75 71, Il Hee Lee (SKOR)  69 74 72, Mina Harigae (USA)  69 71 75, Marina Alex (USA)  71 74 70

216 - Morgan Pressel (USA)  70 76 70, Juli Inkster (USA)  69 77 70, Amy Yang (SKOR)  68 70 78, Kris Tamulis (USA)  70 71 75, Jenny Shin (SKOR)  71 76 69

217 - Mika Miyazato (JPN)  69 72 76, Laura Davies (ENG)  70 76 71, Emily Kristine Pedersen (DNK)  69 74 74, Sakura Yokomine (JPN)  71 71 75, Caroline Hedwall (SWE)  70 73 74, In Gee Chun (SKOR)  69 78 70

218 - Katherine Kirk (AUS)  71 70 77, Sandra Gal (GER)  72 73 73, Haeji Kang (SKOR)  74 73 71, Jennifer Song (USA)  71 73 74, Laura Diaz (USA)  75 72 71, Jodi Ewart Shadoff (ENG)  72 72 74, Jaye Marie Green (USA)  69 78 71

219 - Celine Boutier (FRA)  71 72 76, Beatriz Recari (ESP)  72 71 76, Sydnee Michaels (USA)  71 76 72, Pernilla Lindberg (SWE)  73 74 72, Se Ri Pak (SKOR)  69 75 75, Kristy Mcpherson (USA)  70 77 72, Florentyna Parker (ENG)  71 72 76

220 - Cristie Kerr (USA)  71 74 75, Gerina Piller (USA)  71 73 76, Christina Kim (USA)  71 75 74

221 - Meena Lee (SKOR)  71 73 77, Mi Hyang Lee (SKOR)  72 69 80, Eun-Hee Ji (SKOR)  75 71 75

222 - Mirim Lee (SKOR)  71 76 75, Lee-Anne Pace (RSA)  73 73 76

223 - Sarah Kemp (AUS)  71 76 76

225 - Dewi Claire Schreefel (NED)  68 76 81

226 - Jessica Korda (USA)  72 75 79

229 - Sarah-Jane Smith (AUS)  68 78 83