The Korea Herald

지나쌤

Four Koreans share Farr lead

By Korea Herald

Published : Aug. 12, 2012 - 19:59

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Korea’s Ryu So-yeon watches her drive on the 18th hole on Saturday. (AFP-Yonhap News) Korea’s Ryu So-yeon watches her drive on the 18th hole on Saturday. (AFP-Yonhap News)
SYLVANIA, Ohio (AP) ― For the lead groups, the final round of the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic will be just like a friendly round back home in South Korea.

Oh, and give the winner a check for $195,000.

South Koreans Shin Ji-yai, Kim In-kyung, Ryu So-yeon and Seo Hee-kyung share the top spot at 11-under 202 after Saturday’s third round.

Two more South Koreans, Park In-bee (69) and second-round leader Chella Choi (70), were a shot back along with Japan’s Mika Miyazato (69).

Call them the Seoul sisters.

“It will be really exciting Sunday,” said Kim, who will be chasing her fourth career LPGA Tour victory. “These are players that I grew up with. I know them personally and I know their family issues and all that. So, even though we’re playing in the U.S., having them around I feel much more at home.”

South Koreans have flooded (43 on tour) and dominated the LPGA in recent years. Still, they have seldom taken over a tournament like the one at Highland Meadows. In addition to filling the top four spots and six of the top seven, South Korea was represented by players occupying seven of the top 11 positions and 11 of the top 25 through 54 holes.

Even though they are extremely competitive, don’t expect any gamesmanship.

“There are a lot of Korean players on tour,” said Shin, who has won eight times in LPGA events since 2008, including victories in the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open and the 2008 Women’s Open Championship. “We are very close because we came over to play in the U.S. We were homesick, missing our friends and family in Korea. And that has made us close to each other.”

Shin and Kim each shot 5-under 66 for the low rounds of the day, while Ryu had a 67 and Seo a 68.

McIlroy, Singh in lead at suspended PGA

KIAWAH ISLAND, South Carolina (AP) ― Tiger Woods watched the flight of his tee shot until he could see it drifting too far right, and he hung his head slightly as the ball tumbled off the green. Already with three bogeys in seven holes, it looked as though nothing was going right for him in the PGA Championship.

Dark clouds seem to have followed Woods on the weekend at majors this year. On Saturday at Kiawah Island, they might have saved him.

Facing a 7-foot putt to avoid another bogey, the darkening sky crackled with thunder and play was suspended with 26 players having to return for a marathon finish Sunday. That might be good news for Woods, not so much for Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy raced to the top of the leaderboard, and not even a tee shot that lodged into a tree on the third hole could slow him. Once he finally found it stuck in a rotted section of a thick limb, he took a penalty drop and drilled his wedge to 6 feet to save par.

He went out in 32 after a bogey on the ninth hole and was at 6-under par, tied with Vijay Singh, who was on the par-3 eighth hole.

“It’s nice going into the final day ― hopefully, if we get it finished ― in a great position,” McIlroy said. “And it being 27 holes, I definitely don’t mind. I don’t mind if it takes a while to get done.”