Through three days of tough conditions at Hoakalei Country Club, Yu Jin Sung has put herself in position to do something rare on the LPGA Tour. On Saturday, the South Korean could become the first player in a decade to win an LPGA event as a sponsor’s invitee.

Sung, 22, leads the LPGA Lotte Championship by one stroke at 9 under entering the final round after shooting a 1-under 71 on Friday.

“I haven’t really thought about the winning part. There is still a day left in this tournament. Again, not really thinking about winning but just trying to show my best golf game,” Sung told the LPGA after her round. “Wouldn’t say it was difficult per se today… I didn’t play my best game. Our group, there were a lot of ups and downs and wasn’t the smoothest, so that was a little bit tough. But the course condition was great.”

If she can hold on for the $300,000 winner’s prize, Sung, who won the 2022 Lotte Open in the Korean LPGA, would become the first player in a full LPGA event to win on a sponsor’s exemption since Lydia Ko in the 2013 CP Women’s Open, and first such player in the 11 years of the Lotte Championship in Hawaii.

She’d instantly earn full LPGA Tour status if she was the one doing the traditional Lotte Championship victor’s hula on the 18th green.

Sung has displayed an affable personality over the tournament week. She was remarkably steady in Friday’s third round, which wasn’t as windy as the first two days but still had gusts up to 20 mph. She opened the day with a birdie, then parred 11 straight holes before trading a birdie and bogey on Nos. 13 and 14, and finished with four more pars.

Grace Kim of Australia, Georgia Hall of England and Linnea Strom of Sweden sit at 8 under. Another nine players are within three shots of the lead.

Sung, Kim and Hall will comprise Saturday’s leaders’ group teeing off at 11:40 a.m. Kim is a LPGA rookie in search of her first win but Hall, 27, has been on a roll, having finished second in each of her last two events in March.

“I have heard she’s a very good player and very nice girl,” Hall, who is in pursuit of her third LPGA victory, said of Sung. “I’m sure we’ll have a lot of fun out there. I think it’s a great experience for her to be in the final group on the final day, final round, because it is different. It’s not just like a normal round. There’s a lot of people watching. Obviously you guys (media), TV camera crews. So it would be a great experience for her nonetheless.”

American Bailey Tardy had the best round on moving day with a 65. That allowed her to go from making the cut with one stroke to spare, all the way up to a tie for ninth.

Two-time Lotte champ Brooke Henderson appeared poised to make a huge move — she birdied five of seven holes to start her round — and was at one point just one shot off the lead, but the Canadian cooled off down the stretch and settled for a 69 on the day. She is three shots back at 6 under.

Defending champion Hyo Joo Kim is out of contention, 10 shots off the lead after a 78 on Thursday and 71 on Friday.

Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.