A Lim Kim had a hole-in-one on the par-3 ninth and birdied the final two holes for a 5-under 67 and one-stroke lead over Nataliya Guseva on Friday in the Lotte Championship.
"Calculate number and then chose line and then hit it," said Kim, who used a 9-iron on the 140-yard ninth hole. "I think 99 lucky."
Kim rebounded from a bogey on the par-4 16th with the birdies on the par-4 17th and par-5 18th. She had a 14-under 202 total at breezy Hoakalei Country Club with a round left in the event that started Wednesday.
"Every tournament I think same - focus on my line and then hit it," Kim said. "That's it. Any result, I don't care."
Kim is No. 65 in the Race to CME Globe, and only has two tournaments left to crack the top 60 and earn a spot in the season finale that pays 4 million to the winner. The 29-year-old South Korean player won the U.S. Women's Open in December 2020 for her lone LPGA Tour title.
