Kim Sung-hyun held onto the sole lead at the Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Tour's Hana Bank Invitational (total prize money 1.3 billion won), capping the third round with a dramatic eagle from the fairway on the final hole.
Kim finished the third round on Saturday at the Victory Challenge Course (par 71) of Namchuncheon Country Club in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, with one eagle, two birdies and three bogeys for a 1-under-par 70. His three-day total of 8-under-par 205 kept him in sole possession of the lead for a second consecutive day after the second round. He leads runner-up Bae Yong-jun by one stroke.
The round was not smooth. Kim opened with a birdie on the front-nine second hole (par 4) but made a bogey on the third hole (par 4) to finish the front nine at even par. On the back nine, he made consecutive bogeys on the 11th and 12th holes (both par 4), briefly surrendering the lead to Bae. But after recovering a stroke with a birdie on the 16th hole (par 4), he recorded a shot eagle on the final 18th hole (par 5), where his third shot from about 40 meters away was sucked directly into the cup. The two-stroke swing allowed him to overtake Bae and finish the round in sole possession of the lead.
Kim joined the KPGA Tour in 2020 and won the KPGA Championship that August, but had not reached the top since. This season, his best finish was a tie for sixth, which he achieved twice in five tournaments. But in this event, he has held the lead since the second round, standing on the threshold of a title for the first time in six years. Kim, who has now led for two straight days, expressed his determination: "I'm satisfied to have held on well despite the rain," he said. "In the final round, I'll play calmly and composedly, just like today."
Meanwhile, runner-up Bae Yong-jun (7-under-par 206) is aiming for a one-stroke comeback victory. Bae, who won the Han Jang-sang Invitational in 2022 and the KPGA Classic in 2025, has managed only a tie for 16th as his best finish across seven tournaments this season. In the final round of this event, he is going for his first win of the season and third career title.
