14-year-old Kim Seo-a in final-round championship group at JLPGA's Suntory Ladies Open

Kim Seo-a, a 14-year-old middle school student from Anyang, has stayed in contention for three straight rounds at the Suntory Ladies Open on the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association tour.

Playing Saturday at Rokko Kokusai Golf Club in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture — a par-72 layout measuring 6,612 yards — Kim traded four birdies and four bogeys to card an even-par round, moving to 12 under par (204) and sole third place through 54 holes.

The result puts Kim in the final-round championship group, where she will chase a come-from-behind victory. Kuaki Shiho of Japan, who took the lead in Friday's second round, shot 2 under Saturday to reach 17 under (199) and leads second-place Nagai Kana of Japan by three strokes.

The final-round grouping will pair Kim with Kuaki and Nagai. Kim trails the leader by five shots, but a repeat of her explosive opening-round 9-under 63 would make a comeback win possible.

Kim opened with a birdie on the par-5 1st hole, sticking her third shot to within 80 centimeters of the pin, but gave the stroke back on the par-3 2nd when she missed a 1-meter par putt. Back-to-back bogeys on the 7th and 8th dropped her down the leaderboard, before a chip-in birdie on the par-3 11th and a 1-meter birdie on the par-4 14th helped her recover.

The highlight came at the par-5 17th. After her tee shot landed on a cart path, Kim took a free drop and hit her second shot with a driver, placing the ball 3.5 meters from the hole — drawing audible gasps from the gallery.

She converted the two-putt birdie. On the par-4 18th, her tee shot came to rest among trees, but she punched out cleanly and created another birdie opportunity, drawing loud applause from the Japanese crowd.

Japanese media reported that if Kim wins Sunday, she will be 14 years and 150 days old — breaking the JLPGA tour's all-time record for youngest winner. The current record of 15 years and 176 days was set by Lee Hyo-song at the 2024 World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup.