The start was nothing short of explosive. Yoon Ina sank a 1.5-meter birdie putt on the par-5 first hole, then picked up another birdie on the par-3 second hole, where she had made bogey on both previous days. Her tee shot rolled down a slope and settled a hand's width from the cup — a near ace. On the par-5 third, she reached the green in two for the first time in this tournament. Her eagle putt from about 8 meters nearly dropped before curling slightly away at the edge of the hole.
The three consecutive birdies to open the round raised hopes — both for Yoon herself and for the fans watching — that something special might unfold. But the birdies stopped there. Many chances came over the remaining 15 holes, but the hole refused to yield another birdie. The hole seemed even more unkind than her putting stroke.
Yoon carded three birdies and two bogeys for a 1-under 71 in the third round of the Chevron Championship, the season's first major, held Saturday (KST) at the par-72 Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston, Texas. At 8-under 208, Yoon slipped two places from a tie for third to solo fifth.
With solo leader Nelly Korda of the United States at 16-under, a come-from-behind victory appears out of reach, with an eight-stroke gap to overcome. But Yoon sits just three strokes behind solo second-place Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand (11-under), leaving a runner-up finish within reach. It would also mark her second consecutive top-five finish, following solo fourth at the JM Eagle LA Championship.
Birdie chances kept coming. She had a 2-meter look on the par-4 sixth and a 3-meter try on the par-3 seventh, but her putter went cold.
A bogey eventually crept in. On the par-5 eighth, her second shot drifted into the left rough, and her third flew across into the opposite rough. Her fourth shot came up just short of the green, leading to the dropped stroke.
Even without birdies, her ability to escape trouble had clearly matured. On the par-3 11th, her tee shot hooked left, leaving her a putt of roughly 20 meters, which she lagged to within a hand's width for a par save.
On the par-4 13th, a brilliant iron shot set up a 1.5-meter birdie chance, but the putt refused to drop. She also failed to convert a 4-meter birdie try on the par-5 14th. On the par-5 16th, she stuck it to 1.5 meters, but that hole, too, ignored her desperate hopes.
Disappointment carried over into a bogey on the par-4 17th. Her tee shot buried in the left rough, and her second shot failed to reach the green, costing her another stroke. On the closing par-4, rated the toughest on the course, a superb second shot left her a 2.5-meter birdie chance — but the putt, once again, would not fall.
Seemingly reluctant to let the round go, Yoon stayed alone on the driving range after all the other players had left, grinding on her swing and preparing for the final round.
Yin Ruoning of China, who shot 6-under on the day, and Pauline Roussin-Bouchard of France, who carded a 5-under, share third place at 10-under 206. Korean-American Noh Yerim is tied for sixth at 7-under 209, alongside Mexico's Gaby Lopez.
The final round will be played in threesomes. Korda, Tavatanakit and Yin will form the leading group, while Yoon will compete in the group ahead of them with Lopez and Roussin-Bouchard.
Lim Jin-hee, who trimmed three strokes, is tied for 10th at 6-under 210. Kim Hyo-joo, who carded a 4-under, is tied for 16th at 4-under 212, together with national team player Yang Yoon-seo.
Choi Hye-jin and Lee So-mi, tied for 20th at 3-under 213, are looking to break into the top 10. Hwang Yu-min, who dropped one stroke on the day, is tied for 29th at 2-under 214.
