In-Kyung Kim was unshakeable as she made six birdies in a third round of 66 at Kingsbarns to post a third-round total of 17-under-par, the lowest in the history of the Ricoh Women’s British Open since it became a Major.
The world number 21 from South Korea bettered, by one stroke, the record 54-hole total set by the 2016 champion Ariya Jutanugarn 12 months earlier at Woburn.
In so doing, the 29-year-old from Seoul will take a six-stroke lead into the final round on Sunday, which equals the largest 54-hole lead in the championship, held by Lorena Ochoa in 2007, who went on to claim the title on the Old Course at St Andrews.
Georgia Hall and Moriya Jutanugarn, the elder sister of last year’s champion, are in joint second position after rounds of 67 and 70 respectively, while the 2015 champion, Inbee Park, who equalled the women’s course record with a 64, is tied with Ally McDonald for fourth place a stroke further back. The 2013 champion, Stacy Lewis, is placed sixth on nine-under, with a large group on eight-under, including last week’s Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open champion Mi Hyang Lee and European Solheim Cup team prospects Mel Reid, Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Caroline Masson.
Kim started the day with a two-stroke lead over Georgia Hall and Lexi Thompson, but was never caught in the third round of the championship.
Hall came closest when she made a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-3 first hole to pull within a stroke of the leader, but even when she drove the green at the 290-yard par-four fifth and made a 12-foot putt for eagle, she was still two behind Kim, who had birdied the second and then proceeded to make three birdies in a row from the fifth hole.
Hall then found trouble at the ninth when she played her second shot into thick rough beyond green, and was forced to play a tricky chip from a difficult lie, whereas Kim birdied holes 11 and 12.
With a late tee-time of 2:45pm, Kim again had to contend with several heavy showers throughout her third round, but as usual, she was calmness personified. She said: ‘I really enjoyed the golf course and everything, and it’s just a bonus when it doesn’t rain as much.’
Kim claimed her sixth LPGA title a fortnight ago and has three additional victories on the LET, but winning a Major championship would be redemption for throwing away the ANA Inspiration after she missed a one-foot putt on the final hole and then lost in a play-off.
Since then, she has been working on getting her mind in the right place. ‘Sometimes things don’t go the way I want it, but that’s not something I can control, but I will try to focus on what I can control and enjoy and have some fun too,’ she said.
She compared golf to music. ‘You don’t want to listen to happy music all the time. You want to have some highlights, so that’s how I look at life now.’
South Africa’s lone golfer at this stage, Ashleigh Buhai, made a bogey on the first, but then produced a wonderful round of golf to move up 35 places on the leaderboard.
Buhai’s opening bogey was quickly corrected at the second, before she got under par for her day at the fifth, and followed that up with her third birdie of the day at the sixth. Turning in two-under-par 34, Buhai made her move with birdies at the 11th and 12th holes before one last birdie on the 15th for a Saturday 66.
Buhai enters the final round a massive 10 shots behind Kim, but will be looking to add a top 10 finish to her name when the final putt is sunk at Kingsbarns.
