KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Maintaining the lead she has held since the opening round and looking for her first win on the LPGA Tour, Hye-Jin Choi will take a four-stroke advantage into the final round of the Maybank Championship after shooting a 5-under 67 Saturday.<\/p>\n
Choi, who played on the South Korea team in last week’s International Crown, had a 54-hole total of 19-under 197 on the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country club course. She started the day with a five-stroke lead.<\/p>\n
The 26-year-old Choi has 28 career top-10 finishes and placed second at the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open as a 17-year-old amateur.<\/p>\n
It is the first time in her career she has led after the first three rounds of play and the third time she has led a tournament heading into the final round. The previous two times she finished runner-up.<\/p>\n
“I’ve been waiting for this a really long and I’m going to try my best tomorrow,” Choi said. “I think I will feel like I’m making the dream and I just imagine on it. I’m just looking for a victory tomorrow.”<\/p>\n
China’s Liu Yan (65) was in second place after a bogey-free round and Hannah Green,<\/a> a member of the winning Australia team<\/a> at the International Crown last weekend, was in third after a 67, four strokes behind Choi.<\/p>\n A Lim Kim was the biggest mover with a 64 that left her in a tie for fourth place, six strokes off the lead. Kim’s round included an eagle on 18<\/a> and six birdies.<\/p>\n “It was a great shot, but improbable,” Kim said of her 25-foot eagle putt on 18. She started her round with four birdies in five holes.<\/p>\n World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul, a runner-up in Malaysia the last two years, shot 65 and was also in a fourth-place tie. She birdied her last three holes<\/a> Saturday.<\/p>\n “I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s good,” said Thitikul. She credited her many fans in the gallery for their support, saying again the venue was like a “mini-Thailand” for her.<\/p>\n