Alison Lee took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship, putting the 21-year-old UCLA student in position for her first victory. Lee shot a 4-under 68 in calm and firm conditions at Sky 72, saving par on 17 and birdieing 18 to stretch her margin over US. Women's Open champion Brittany Lang - her US Solheim Cup teammate. "The past few days, all week, I've been striking the ball really well," Lee said. "I've been giving myself a lot birdie chances. Even though I shot 4-under today, I still left a lot of birdie putts other there." Playing her second season on the tour while remaining in college, Lee had a 13-under 203 total on the Jack Nicklaus-designed Ocean Course. Lang had a 72. South Korea's Kim In-kyung, the winner two weeks ago in China in the first of six straight events in Asia, was third at 9-under after a 69. She also won an event in Germany last month. Lee rebounded from a bogey on the par-4 14th to birdie the 15th. A day after chipping in for eagle on the short par 4, she hit a full approach that tracked across the green to 4 feet. After missing a 7-foot birdie putt on the par-4 16th, she got an 8-foot comebacker to fall for par on the par-3 17th. She made a 4-footer on the par-5 18th, seeing the line when Cristie Kerr — the third member of the all-Solheim Cup (and all-PXG equipment) group — hit a bunker shot inches behind Lee's marker and holed her birdie putt. Lee also rebounded well from her first bogey, following a dropped shot on the par-3 third with four straight birdies. She then made six pars before missing a 5-footer on 14. Spain's Carlota Ciganda had a 69 to reach 8 under, and Kerr's 72 left her at 7-under with Taiwan's Candie Kung (69) and South Korea's Kim Min-sun. Park Sung-hyun, tied for the lead early in the round, had consecutive double bogeys on the back nine in a 73 to fall to 6-under. The Korean LPGA member tied for second behind Lexi Thompson last year. Thompson also was 5-under a 72, making five birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey. She and Lang are the only US winners this year. Chun In-gee, the top-ranked South Korean player at No. 3, was 3-under after a 69. Top-ranked Lydia Ko was 1 over after a 73. She has four victories this year, one behind second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn for the tour lead. Jutanugarn had a 69 to get to 1 under. Fourth-ranked Brooke Henderson had her worst round of the season, shooting a 78 alongside Ko to drop to 5-over. The Canadian teen plans to play all six week in Asia. Australia's Su Oh had a hole-in-one with an 8-iron on the 144-yard 17th. She was 1-under after a 67.
