Hwang Yoo-min, who barely made the cut to advance to the third round, staged a successful rebound on "Moving Day."
Hwang shot a 2-under 70 with four birdies and two bogeys in the third round of the LPGA Tour's Mexico Riviera Maya Open at the El Camaleon Golf Course (par 72) in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, on Monday (Korea time). With a total of even-par 216, Hwang climbed 34 spots from a tie for 62nd after the second round to a tie for 28th after the third round.
Depending on the final-day result, a top-10 finish is within reach, and more importantly, her chances of holding onto the top spot in the rookie rankings have grown significantly. Hwang has competed in seven tournaments this season, finishing in the top 25 four times, including one top-10 finish, leading the rookie rankings.
Three rookies are ranked higher than Hwang after the third round. Melanie Green of the United States, ranked seventh among rookies, is tied for sixth (7-under 209), Carolina Melgrati of Italy is tied for 14th (3-under 213), and Japan's Erika Hara, ranked third among rookies, is tied for 21st (1-under 215). Melgrati has missed the cut in all four tournaments she has entered and is not yet included in the rookie rankings.
Hwang picked up a birdie on the par-3 fourth hole but gave the stroke back with a bogey on the par-4 ninth. She birdied the par-3 10th but dropped back to even par with a bogey on the par-4 11th. However, she birdied both par-5 holes on the back nine, the 13th and the 18th, to card her first under-par round of the tournament (2-under 70).
Nelly Korda of the United States, who is on a hot streak with two wins and three runner-up finishes in five starts this season, shot 5 under on the day to move into the solo lead at 14-under 202. She holds a three-stroke cushion over second-place Arpichaya Yubol of Thailand (11-under 205), putting her in a strong position to win.
Among Korean players, Joo Su-bin posted the highest ranking at a tie for 10th (4-under 212), while Lim Jin-hee and Kang Min-ji are tied for 21st (1-under 215).
