Korean Mingyu Cho [main picture] will seek restitution in the final round of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open tomorrow after taking a share of the third-round lead.

He shot a four-under-par 67 today for a three-day total of 10-under, along with his young compatriot Minhyuk Song, who carded a 66.

Korean Taehee Lee, the back-to-back champion here in 2019 and the following year, returned a 70 and is three behind in solo second, while his countrymen Minjun Kim (68), Doyeob Mun (69), the defending champion, and Minkyu Kim (70) are all another stroke behind.

Cho finished in second place here at Namseoul Country Club in 2022, two shots behind the winner: fellow Korean Bio Kim.

It was bitter sweet as on the ninth hole he played his third off a secondary green and was quickly told he should have taken a drop. He was subsequently penalised two strokes. It remains his best finish in a tournament that he has unfinished business.

He was rock solid today, shooting all four of his birdies on the back nine and not dropping any shots.

Minhyuk Song.

“There weren’t any major crises or big opportunities on the front nine, I made pars throughout,” said Cho.

“I knew I had lost the lead, but I didn’t dwell on it. I just kept playing, believing chances would come naturally. I started playing golf in 1999 and have been on tour for over 20 years. From experience, you shouldn’t attack the course recklessly – especially not this one. It’s important to stay patient and play within yourself.”

He said he played in the final group with Korean Kyungtae Kim when he won in 2011. “He was incredible at the time, and playing alongside him helped me understand how to approach Namseoul Country Club,” he said.

The 37-year-old is a two-winner in Japan but surprisingly he has not won in Korea. In 2022 when he frustratingly lost this week’s event he was second in the Kolon Korea Open and Shinhan Donghae Open, another of the country’s biggest events.

Victory tomorrow would also be especially significant with a new arrival in the Cho family.

He said: “A new opportunity presents itself. If I win in Korea, it feels like all the pieces will finally come together. And my son was born on Monday, so I want to draw strength from that and give it my best as a father.”

All the big guns of Korean golf are hot on his heels, including the next generation.

Song is just two 22 and has been a professional for two years. He hit the headlines in 2023 when he tied second in the GS Caltex Maekyung Open, when he was an amateur.

“Namseoul Country Club is a course where I’ve had some of my best results. I especial love the huge galleries,” he said, who is knocking on the door of a first win in the pro game with four top fives on home soil last year.

“I tried to be myself today, just as I did in the first and second rounds. Rather than thinking about protecting my position in the third round, I focused on moving up the leaderboard. I think that mindset helped me get into a share of the lead. There were a lot of leaderboards out on the course, so I checked them frequently. I kept track of where I stood and played accordingly.”

Taehee Lee.

South African Ian Snyman (67), plus Koreans Jinho Choi (69), Daihan Lee (70) and Seonghyeon Kim (71) are next best placed, five behind the leaders.

Overnight leader Yubin Jang from Korea suffered a poor day carding an uncharacteristic 78 to tumbledown the leaderboard into joint 45^th on one over.

Pictures courtesy Korean Golf Association.