Ryu Hae-ran birdies 16th through 18th to seize 4-shot lead at BMW Ladies Championship

Ryu Hae-ran birdied three consecutive holes — the 16th through 18th — to open a four-shot lead in the third round of the BMW Ladies Championship, the only LPGA Tour event held in South Korea, which carries a purse of $2.35 million.

Playing Saturday at Pine Beach Golf Links (par 72, 6,549 yards) in Haenam-gun, South Jeolla Province amid rain brought by Typhoon Trami, Ryu carded a 4-under-par 68 to reach 17 under par (199) for the tournament, pulling four shots clear of the trio tied for second — Choi Hye-jin, Park Min-ji and Japan's Yoshida Yuri.

Ryu had entered moving day with a two-shot lead and picked up two birdies through the 10th hole to share the lead with Choi. Choi had been on a tear through 10 holes, making an eagle and seven birdies without a bogey to sit nine under for the day.

Ryu appeared to feel the pressure at the par-3 15th, the tournament's signature hole, when her tee shot drifted toward the penalty-area line to the right of the green — a few inches more and she would have faced a penalty stroke. She recovered well, placing her second shot within three meters of the pin, but her par putt slid past the cup.

Tied for the lead, Ryu responded with the composure of a major champion, rattling off birdies on the 16th, 17th and 18th to pull four clear. She bounced back with a two-meter birdie on the par-4 16th, then stuck a bunker shot to within three meters on the par-5 17th and converted for another birdie. She holed a putt from a similar distance on the par-4 18th to close out the run.

Choi, who had been sharing the lead, suffered a damaging double bogey on the par-5 17th when her second shot — aimed at reaching the green in two — found the penalty area to the right.

After taking a penalty drop, Choi reached the green in four and three-putted, dropping two crucial strokes at the worst possible moment. She had put together a brilliant front nine, chipping in for eagle from a bunker on the par-5 sixth and adding six more birdies to go 8 under through nine holes without a bogey.

Park Min-ji, a 20-time winner on the KLPGA Tour, shot the day's best round — a 7-under-par 65 — to vault into contention. She played a flawless round, making seven birdies and no bogeys, including three consecutive birdies on the 16th through 18th.

Kim Min-ju carded a 3-under-par 69, with five birdies and two bogeys, to reach 12 under par (204) and share fifth place with Spain's Julia Lopez Ramirez.

Kim Min-sun 7, who played in the same group as Ryu, managed only even par to sit at 11 under (205), tied for seventh alongside Kim Hyo-joo, who shot 5 under on the day.

Kim Min-sol, the KLPGA Tour's leading money winner, shot a 2-under-par 70 to reach 10 under (206), sharing 11th place with Jeon Ji-won and Australia's Grace Kim.

Yun I-na turned in a clean 4-under-par 68 — four birdies, no bogeys — to move to 9 under (207), joining a group tied for 14th that includes Lindy Duncan of the United States and Aditi Ashok of India.