Kang Chae-yeon leads Jeju Samdasoo Masters after third round

Kang Chae-yeon, who entered the tournament as a standby player, has put herself in position to claim her first victory on the KLPGA Tour.

Kang carded a 3-under-par 69 on Saturday at Teddy Valley Golf & Resort (par 72) in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, during the third round of the Jeju Samdasoo Masters, which carries a purse of 1 billion won ($705,000). She recorded six birdies and three bogeys.

At 12-under-par 204 for the tournament, Kang extended the solo lead she had taken in the second round on Friday and heads into Sunday's final round one stroke ahead of joint runners-up Jang Eun-su and Seo Eo-jin, who are tied at 11-under-par 205.

Kang made her KLPGA Tour debut in 2023 and finished runner-up at the 2024 Jeju Samdasoo Masters held at Blackstone Golf Club. She struggled to build on that result, however, and lost her tour card after last season, dropping to the second-tier Dream Tour this year. She has won once on the Dream Tour this season and currently sits third on its money list.

Playing in only her third KLPGA Tour event of the season after earning a spot as a standby entry, Kang has set the stage for what would be her first win on the main tour.

She opened her scoring with a birdie on the par-4 first hole, rolling in a putt from the edge of the green, and had trimmed two strokes off her total by the ninth hole to extend her lead over the chasing pack. On the par-4 11th, her tee shot drifted right, but the ball ran along a cart path and came to rest 296 yards out. After receiving a free drop, she put her second shot on the green and sank a 6-meter putt for another birdie.

"When I finished runner-up at this tournament two years ago, it was my first time playing in the final group and I was nervous," Kang said. "This time I've done a lot of weight training, so my distance is up and my iron play has improved. I'll go out tomorrow with confidence."

Park Min-ji, chasing her 21st KLPGA Tour victory — which would be the all-time record — dropped from joint second to joint sixth at 7-under-par 209 after carding two bogeys against one birdie for a net one-stroke loss on the day. Seo Gyo-rim, a two-time winner this season, also fell one stroke back and finished the third round in joint 12th at 6-under-par 210.