South Korea’s Sei Young Kim maintained her lead through three rounds of the LA Championship on Saturday despite a challenging back nine, holding a two-stroke advantage at the El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, California. The world No. 10 entered the day with a one-shot lead and carded a 1-under-par 71, moving to 15-under 201 overall.

Kim began strongly, posting a blistering 31 on the front nine with five birdies and four pars, briefly reaching 19 under for the tournament. However, her momentum slowed on the back nine as she recorded four consecutive bogeys on holes 14 through 17 before parring the 18th. She finished the round with seven fairways hit out of 14, 13 greens in regulation, and 28 putts. Kim acknowledged the difficulties she faced, describing her day as a “roller coaster” and expressing a focus on learning from the experience to improve for the final round.

Four players are tied for second place at 13 under par, including Australia’s Hannah Green, Thailand’s Suvichaya Vinjichaiatham, South Korea’s Yoon Ina, and Jessica Park. Green carded a 5-under 67, featuring seven birdies and two bogeys. Suvichaya, the closest pursuer from Thailand, eagled the par-5 16th hole and made five birdies alongside two bogeys in her round. Yoon recorded four birdies and three bogeys, while Park finished with seven birdies despite a double bogey on the ninth hole and a bogey on the 15th. Park noted the course’s difficulty but highlighted her late surge with three consecutive birdies to close her round.

Kim, 33, is a seasoned competitor with 13 LPGA Tour victories to her name. After a bogey-marked first round 65, she followed with a clean 65 on Friday, showcasing strong form throughout the tournament thus far. The final round on Sunday will determine whether she can convert her lead into a 14th career LPGA win.