[Herald Economy=Reporter Jo Yongjik] Defending champion Lee Tae-hoon (Canada) is on the verge of repeating at the KPGA Tour 2026 Woori Financial Championship (total purse 1.5 billion KRW (approximately 1.125 million USD)).
Lee shot a 4-under 67 in the third round on the Valley/Seowon courses at Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, Gyeonggi Province (par 71, 7,018 yards), logging six birdies and two bogeys.
After opening the event with a solo lead and sliding to a tie for eighth in the second round, Lee climbed back to the top with a three-round total of 9-under 204.
He will head into the final round on the 26th tied for the lead with Brandon Kewalramani (USA), Choi Chan and Moon Dong-hyun.
Lee made a bogey at the par-3 second but answered with birdies at the par-5 third, par-4 sixth, par-5 seventh and par-4 ninth to shave strokes off his score. He closed the round with birdies at the par-5 16th and par-3 18th.
Having returned to Korea after competing at last week’s LIV Golf event in Mexico City, Lee said, “I struggled on the first day with a split lip and dizziness, but I feel better today. If my body holds up tomorrow, I think we’ll get a good result.” He added, “As the defending champion, I’ll give my all to try to win.”
Choi Chan, who seized solo control after a six-under performance in round two, slipped to a tie for the lead after a shaky 1-over 72 that included two birdies, one bogey and a double bogey.
“My ball-striking wasn’t bad, but my putting didn’t cooperate,” Choi said. “On the par-4 10th the wind shifted, my ball hit the road and bounced out, which led to the double bogey. It’s disappointing, but I think I held on well.”
Moon Dong-hyun, who made his KPGA Tour debut last year, shot a 4-under 67 and suddenly finds himself with a chance at his first career victory. He finished tied for second in this event in 2024 as an amateur, one stroke behind Sungjae Im.
“I’ll go into the final round tied for the lead and play calmly without getting greedy,” Moon said.
Sungjae Im, the tournament’s 2023 and 2024 champion who now plays on the PGA Tour, carded a 2-over 73 with one birdie and three bogeys and fell to a tie for 53rd at even-par 213 after three rounds.
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