Shin Ji-eun leads Scottish Open by 5 shots heading into final round

Shin Ji-eun moved to the brink of her second LPGA Tour victory Saturday, holding the outright lead for a third consecutive day at the ISPS Handa Scottish Open, which carries a $2 million purse.

Playing at Dundonald Links (par 72) in North Ayrshire, Scotland, Shin carded two birdies and one bogey for a 1-under-par 71 in the third round Saturday.

At 12 under par through 54 holes, Shin leads by five strokes over Thailand's Pajaree Anannarukarn, who fired a 3-under 69 to jump into second place at 7 under par (209).

Shin shared the lead after the opening round before pulling clear on her own in rounds two and three. The result puts her on the cusp of her second career title — a decade after she claimed her first at the 2016 Volunteers of America Texas Shootout in May of that year.

In capricious conditions that mixed rain, strong winds and sunshine, Shin saved par repeatedly before picking up her first birdie at the par-3 sixth hole. After making the turn 1 under, she bogeyed the par-4 10th, but immediately answered with a birdie at the par-3 11th and parred every remaining hole to stay atop the leaderboard.

"It was a very tough round. I was so nervous for the first five holes, so I'm just glad I finished under par," Shin said. "It was a boring but nerve-wracking day."

She added: "I've never been in a position where I lead by five shots, so I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel. I'll do a bit more practice and try to find a good feel heading into the final round."

Kim A-rim, who had been in third place after the second round, slipped two spots to fifth at 3 under par (213) after a 2-over 74 that included two birdies, one double bogey and two bogeys. Yang Hee-young, who gained one stroke on the day, moved up to a share of eighth place at even par (216).