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Overnight leader Kim produced a two-over-par round of 74 to
sign for a 216 level-par total, matched by Kung who bogeyed her
last two holes to sign for a 73 at the $2 million event in
Hainan Island.
The blustering conditions and heavily undulating greens at the
lengthy Jian Lake Blue Bay Course have proved a stern test for
the LPGA's finest taking part in the penultimate leg of the
five-tournament Asian swing.
Kim, chasing rookie of the year honors, has shown her best in
the wind this year with two titles in Bahamas and Hawaii earlier
in the season but said Blue Bay had been a step up after she
mixed three birdies with five bogeys in Saturday's round.
"This is the toughest course I've ever played," the world number
11 said.
"Overall, I’m happy with my performance, although I feel this is
really, really tough."
Kung, chasing her fifth LPGA Tour event and first LPGA Tour
title in seven years, said she had just concentrated on
surviving Saturday.
"I really am very much distraught with the windy conditions,"
the world number 63 said.
"There is no way you really have time to think about who is
behind you, who ahead of you, and in what way on course you can
catch up or whatever. You just do your best."
American Stacy Lewis was a shot back on one-over after a third
round 73 and the world number three was expecting another tough
outing on Sunday.
"I think the weather is going to be even worse tomorrow, so it’s
really more of a mental test than anything."
Taiwanese rookie Hsu Wei-Ling fired the best round of the day, a
four-under-par 68 after an astonishing seven birdies over her
closing 10 holes vaulted her up the leaderboard into a share of
eighth on three-over.
World number one Lydia Ko was among the sub-par quartet, hitting
six birdies in a round of 70 which helped move her up to plus
six and a share of 20th.
(Writing by Patrick Johnston in Singapore; editing by Amlan
Chakraborty)
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