Kim Su-ji takes third-round lead at Aurora World Championship

Kim Su-ji, a six-time winner on the KLPGA Tour, is now within striking distance of her first career victory at a tournament opening in July.

She carded seven birdies and one bogey for a 6-under-par 66 in the third round of the Aurora World Championship — purse 1 billion won ($694,000) — played Saturday at Aurora Golf & Resort (par 72) in Wonju, Gangwon Province.

Kim's three-round total of 11-under-par 205 put her one stroke clear of Lee Ji-hyeon (born 1998), who sits at 10-under 206. A victory in the tournament, which opened July 30, would mark the first time in her career that Kim has won a tournament that began before August.

Kim struggled to find her footing in the opening round, carding an even-par 72 to share 35th place, but she clawed back five strokes in the second round and six more in the third to surge to the top of the leaderboard. As she settled into the course, her ball-striking sharpened.

After the round, Kim said the course setup had changed from last year, which limited her birdie opportunities in the first round. "From the second round on, I adapted to the course and played with more confidence, and I think that led to the good results," she said.

Looking ahead to the final round, she said putting would be the key. "I'm going to spend the rest of today — Saturday — working on my putting," she added, signaling her intent to close out the title.