Nestled among forests and mountains and with the East China Sea just miles away, this week’s venue is LPGA International Busan, the LPGA’s first branded golf facility outside the United States.

“I think everybody that I know from Korea has a Busan story. Everybody vacationed here. They came here as kids. My players talk about Busan in a really personal way,” said LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan of this inaugural week in Busan. “This is our chance to show the rest of the world Busan, because I think for a lot of Korean folks, Busan already has a special spot in their heart. But for the rest of the world we are about to blow the lid off and show the world what an incredible city this is and to come and play golf. And if you’re going to play golf, where else would you play than LPGA International.”

The BMW Ladies Championship will host 84 of the world’s best female golfers, led by World No. 1 Jin Young Ko, who has been atop the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings for the last 14 consecutive weeks. She is one of 15 players in the top 20 of the Rolex Rankings in the field, a group that including World No. 11 Danielle Kang, who reached that career-best ranking after her victory at last week’s Buick LPGA Shanghai. Other notable players in Busan include 2019 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Jeongeun Lee6, last week’s runner-up Jessica Korda and KLPGA star Hye-Jin Choi, who leads the 2019 KLPGA Tour Official Money List by virtue of her four victories.

The field consists of 50 LPGA Members, ranked in the order of their position on the 2019 LPGA Official Money List through the 2019 Volunteers of America Classic; 30 KLPGA Members, as selected by the KLPGA; and four sponsor invitations.

KANG RETURNING TO CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

Busan has a special place in Danielle Kang’s heart. While Kang was born in San Francisco, she spent several years of her childhood in the sea-side town. While the area has changed significantly since that time, Kang is looking forward to a week filled with good memories and time with extended family.

“I still have friends out here. It’s a childhood memory growing up, speaking Korean and the different dialects, but it feels a little bit different. I’m really excited to play,” said Kang, whose father K.S. Kang was a telecommunications executive in Korea. “At the same time, I’m conflicted just because there are a lot of things that are different for me now than what I’m used to, whether it’s people around or things that I’m used to being able to visit this town. I’m very excited to come back. I don’t get to come back here very often.”

Kang is still riding the high of her win at last week’s Buick LPGA Shanghai, a victory that came on her 27th birthday. Should she capture a victory this week, she could become the first player to win consecutive events since Shanshan Feng won the 2017 TOTO Japan Classic and the 2017 Blue Bay LPGA.

HUR RIGHT AT HOME IN BUSAN

2019 has been a year of rejuvenation for Mi Jung Hur. She has captured wins at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open and the Indy Women in Tech Championship, her first wins since the 2014 Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic. In an interesting coincidence, that five-year span between victories matches the same length of time between her first career victory at the 2009 Safeway Classic and that win in 2014.

“After I won at Scotland, I did see an article saying that I tend to win every five years, and I remember feeling that that might just be a curse and I might have to wait another five years before I get another win,” Hur joked on Tuesday. “But I stayed put. I focused my work hard, and so I was able to garner a second win this time, like you said, in seven weeks.”

Hur is originally from Daejeon, nearly three hours from Busan, and now makes her home in suburban Dallas. But she also has a very close connection to Busan. Her husband Kevin Wang, whom she married in 2018, is a native of Busan and his parents still call Busan home. To balance the extra pressure she feels from playing in front of close family and friends, Hur is making a concerted effort to show Busan off to her friends on the LPGA Tour.

“I will feel that extra pressure when I’m on course today, but I’m going to try to have as much fun as I can. For instance, yesterday, I invited some players for dinner,” said Hur. “We had dinner together and also tomorrow we’re planning to have dinner together. So as a person who has a special connection with Busan, I really hope the other players can make some good memories here, as well.”

ASIAD COUNTRY CLUB IS OFFICIALLY UNVEILED AS LPGA INTERNATIONAL BUSAN

On Sept. 23, 2019, the LPGA celebrated the official unveiling of its first golf facility outside the United States, and its second in all, when Asiad Country Club was reborn as LPGA International Busan in Busan Metropolitan City, Republic of Korea.

LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan, Busan Metropolitan City’s Mayor Keo-don Oh, LPGA International Busan CEO Kyu-tae Hwang and Dr. Wolfgang Hacker, Head of Brand Management of BMW Korea, took part in the unveiling ceremony after making a brief tour of the 27-hole facility.

“I’m very happy to be able to open LPGA International Busan with the LPGA, which is leading the global standard for golf culture, and I expect this place to become a landmark for culture and tourism beyond just golf,” said Mayor Oh. “Busan and the LPGA will work together to help Busan grow into a city that is central in leading Asian golf culture, starting with the first LPGA-certified golf course to open in the world outside the United States.”

For more information, visit www.lpga.com/news/2019-lpga-international-busan-unveiling-release

NOTABLE FIRST-ROUND GROUPINGS

The 10:23 a.m. tee time off the first tee includes the power grouping of Rolex Rankings No. 1 Jin Young Ko, last week’s champion Danielle Kang and KLPGA leading player Hye-Jin Choi

In Gee Chun, who won the last LPGA Tour event held in the Republic of Korea (the 2018 LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship), will tee off the 10th tee at 8:33 a.m. with Minjee Lee and So Yeon Park

RACE TO THE CME GLOBE UPDATE

Heading into the 30th week of the 2019 Race to the GME Globe, four-time winner Jin Young Ko leads the standings with 4,068 points. Brooke Henderson is second with 2,729 points, followed by Jeongeun Lee6 with 2,597 points.

The 2019 season brings a fresh face to the Race to the CME Globe. LPGA Members will accumulate points at each official LPGA Tour event leading up to the CME Group Tour Championship. The top 60 points earners and ties will then earn a spot in the CME Group Tour Championship, with the entire field competing for the $5 million purse and the $1.5 million winner’s check, the largest single prize in the history of women’s golf.

AON RISK REWARD CHALLENGE HOLE

No. 11, par 5

SOCIAL MEDIA – #DriveOn

The popular Asian Tour event will continue to be part of the Panasonic Swing and the winner of the BNI Indonesian Masters will again receive a coveted spot in the World Golf Championships – FedEx St. Jude Invitational in 2020.

By being the flagship event of the Asian Tour, the BNI Indonesian Masters will award the winner with no less than 20 Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points, ensuring more players benefit from the points breakdown in what will be the penultimate event of the 2019 season.

The OWGR points will become more significant as it will be used to determine players’ qualification for the prestigious 60-man event at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan next July. It will also be key for players vying to qualify for the Major tournaments next year.

The Indonesian Masters has played a key role in developing the game of golf in Indonesia and across the region since its inception in 2011. This is evident when Indonesia welcomed its first ever Asian Tour winner in Rory Hie, who won in India last month.

Last year, Thailand’s Poom Saksansin fended off the challenges from his more illustrious rivals to win the 2018 Indonesian Masters by three shots for his third Asian Tour victory.

It was a class act by Poom as he showed that he would not be cowed into submission against an elite field which included marquee players Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson, who were ranked number one and 27th respectively on the OWGR then.

Poom, who had cruised to a comfortable five-shot victory for his first Asian Tour win in 2016, is the second player following Lee Westwood to win the event more than once. Lee had won the event for a record three times in 2011, 2012 and 2015.

Austrian Bernd Wiesberger triumphed in 2013 while Anirban Lahiri of India emerged victorious in 2014. Rose claimed his third win in seven weeks at the 2017 Indonesian Masters after he recorded a commanding eight-shot victory with an impressive four-day total of 29-under-par 259.

“On behalf of our members, I would like to welcome the return of the BNI Indonesian Masters onto the 2019 schedule. The tournament has grown into one of the premier events in the region over the years and I believe it will be another exciting week of golf when the tournament gets underway in December,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner and CEO, Asian Tour.

The Indonesian Masters, which has grown from strength to strength since its inception in 2011, will be backed by PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (BNI), an Indonesian state-owned bank, for the third time this December.

Anggoro Eko Cahyo, Consumer Business Director of Bank Negara Indonesia, said, “We are thrilled to be back as title sponsor of the Indonesian Masters. This year, 144 professional and amateur golfers will compete to show their best skills. Through BNI support, we sincerely hope to be able to help in the development of golf, and be able to capture young talented golfers from Indonesia who can show their exceptional talents internationally.”

Anggoro Eko Cahyo, Consumer Business Director of Bank Negara Indonesia, said

for this year this is our fourth time to be involved with Indonesian Masters. We feel that Indonesian Master is a tournament that is able to show that Indonesia is a country that has the potential to be invested through BNI. Other than that we are hoping to support the development sports of golf, and to also attract the young golfer who can represent Indonesia and speak to International audience.”

The Indonesian Masters will form the third leg of the 2019/20 Panasonic Swing, a ranking based on an aggregate points race that spans five events with Asian Tour players chasing a share of a lucrative bonus pool.

Aside from BNI, this prestigious international event is also supported by BRI Bank. Prilly Savitri, EVP Marketing Communication of Bank Rakyat Indonesia expressed his support for the 2019 Indonesian Masters event. “This international level tournament provide valuable experience because this event is attended by golfers from all over the world. In addition to developing golf in the country, this international tournament is also good to introduce Indonesia to foreign countries,” said Prilly.

While Hilmi Panigoro as the President Director of MedcoEnergi revealed, “We strongly support the holding of the 2019 Indonesian Masters. For us this event is a premier event in the country and we hope that our participation can continue to improve golf achievements in Indonesia.”

Fans across the region can also catch all the action live on television as all four days of the Indonesian Masters will be broadcast on the Asian Tour’s television platform. The Indonesian Masters, which was inaugurated in 2011, will be the penultimate event of the 2019 season. “I hope that this tournament will be held successfully at Royale Jakarta Golf Club,” said Cho Minn Thant.

KANG WINS SECOND CONSECUTIVE BUICK LPGA SHANGHAI

On her 27th birthday, the American captured the 2019 Buick LPGA Shanghai, successfully defending her 2018 title at Qizhong Garden Golf Club with a one-stroke win over Jessica Korda. Kang shot a bogey-free 2-under 70 on Sunday, breaking her own tournament record to finish at 16-under 272.

Kang pulled two strokes clear of Korda with a birdie at the 15th, but on 17, Korda got back within one with a birdie of her own. At 18, Kang came up 3 feet short on her 25-foot birdie putt and admitted to a good case of nerves over what ultimately became her winning putt.

“It was a really stressful day. I definitely played well out there. It was really tough because you’re definitely watching what Jessica is shooting and scoring, and always just try to keep in my own game,” said Kang. “There were a lot of birdie opportunities. I made some really great up and downs. I’ve never been more nervous than the last putt for some reason, but I made it.”

Korda was unable to keep up with the mistake-free Kang. After starting the day one stroke ahead of Kang, she shot even-par 72 with three birdies and three bogeys.

“I just didn’t have any like good numbers. I couldn’t get anything going. Everything was half shots. I was either short or I was long,” said Korda, who was looking for her sixth win in six different countries. “You know, just couldn’t get anything going today. It was just one of those days where it just wasn’t meant to be, I guess.”

Yu Liu, of the People’s Republic of China, surged up the leaderboard with a final-round 65 and tied for third with Japan’s Nasa Hataoka and American LPGA rookie Kristen Gillman, who earned the best finish of her LPGA career. Megan Khang tied the 18-hole scoring record of 8-under 64, acing the par-3 11th to go with six birdies to finish tied for seventh.

KANG CREDITS SHORT GAME, FAMILY FOR HER WIN

Her mother Grace Kang, her brother Alex Kang, her boyfriend Maverick McNealy, her caddie Olly Brett, her coach Butch Harmon. For 2019 Buick LPGA Shanghai champion Danielle Kang, the long list of people she thanked in her victory speech speaks volumes on her personal connection to the game.

“I went home last week, flew all the way back from Korea and worked on my short game with my brother, and I’ve been working on my short game with Maverick,” said Kang, who travels weekly with her mother and keeps the rest of her team close via FaceTime. “My mom told me I needed my chipping to get better, and it’s definitely better.”

That close collaboration came together in Kang’s superb short-game play on Sunday. Clutch bunker play at 8, 9, 10 and 11 kept Kang out of trouble, success she credited to that time at home in Las Vegas working with her brother. She also acknowledges her brother for keeping her mentally refreshed and focused.

“One of the main things I work on is to be positive. My brother told me few years back to tell myself a lot of positive things you do on the golf course so I don’t get dwell on all the negatives that happen sometimes,” said Kang. “It’s something that I’m working on, something that I got reminded of.”

GILLMAN ENJOYS CAREER WEEK IN SHANGHAI

Kristen Gillman’s first trip to the People’s Republic of China brought a huge smile to her face. The 2019 Tour rookie tied for third at -13 in her first Asia Swing appearance, the best finish of her young LPGA career.

“I definitely knew I would be able to do it, but also being a rookie and being in Asia – or at least in China for my first time – you don’t really expect to have this good of a finish and your best finish so far this year out of the country,” said Gillman, whose previous best finish was a tie for sixth at the 2019 ANA Inspiration. “It’s kind of nice to be able to start it that way.”

Gillman is wrapping up a successful rookie campaign that has seen her earn four top-10 finishes. She sits second in the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year race, which has already been clinched by Jeongeun Lee6.

LIU THANKS FENG FOR INSPIRING NEXT GENERATION OF CHINESE GOLFERS

With a final-round 67, second-year LPGA Tour player Yu Liu jumped into a tie for third and earned her seventh top-10 finish of the season. Liu was especially proud of how she was able bounce back from a 4-over 76 on Thursday and record the second-best finish of her career, behind only a tie for second at the 2019 Bank of Hope Founders Cup.

“I had pretty high expectations, to be honest. That’s why I kind of didn’t do as well as I would have liked on the first round playing with Nasa and Nelly, two of the very top players,” said Liu. “I wasn’t in my tournament zone for the entire round, but I thought about it. Like I give it a lot of thinking after the round that night. I’m glad it paid off the very next day and I shot a very low round in tough conditions.”

As one of the rising young stars on the LPGA Tour, Liu is following firmly in the footsteps of her role model and countrywoman Shanshan Feng, the first golfer from Mainland China, male or female, to reach World No. 1.

“She’s just the greatest icon, the greatest role model for all the young kids, for all the next generation golfers,” said Liu. “Her achievements, it’s just so high up there. I looked at her stats one day. I was looking through the career Money List and she ranked top 15 in history, so that means she’s like one of the greatest golfers of all time. Her consistency, her attitude towards the game, life, is just something that we can always look up to and learn from.”

CME GROUP CARES CHALLENGE – SCORE 1 FOR ST. JUDE

The CME Group Cares Challenge is a season-long charitable giving program that turns aces into donations. CME Group will donate $20,000 for each hole-in-one made on the LPGA Tour in 2019, with a minimum guaranteed donation of $500,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

Five players made aces at the Buick LPGA Shanghai – Brittany Altomare (first round, second hole), Brooke Henderson (second round, second hole), Ariya Jutanugarn (second round, 11th hole), Megan Khang (fourth round, 11th hole) and non-member Yunjie Zhang (fourth round, seventh hole). It was the second time this season a tournament saw five aces, joining the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give. There have been 30 aces made this season and a total of $600,000 donated thus far to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

LEADERS TOP 10 COMPETITION

The LEADERS Top 10 competition awards a $100,000 bonus to the LPGA player with the most top-10 finishes through the completion of the event held immediately prior to the CME Group Tour Championship. In the event of a tie in total top-10 finishes, the award will go to the player with the most official wins, followed by most second-place finishes, third-place finishes, etc., until the tie is broken.

With tie for ninth at the Buick LPGA Shanghai, Brooke Henderson and Jin Young Ko move to the top of the leaderboard with 11 top-10 finishes. Four players are tied for third with 10 top-10s – Ariya Jutanugarn, Hyo Joo Kim, Nelly Korda and Jeongeun Lee6.

PLAYER NOTES

Rolex Rankings No. 16 Danielle Kang (69-67-66-70)

• She hit 12 of 14 fairways and 12 of 18 greens, with 28 putts
• Kang is in her eighth season on the LPGA Tour; she has wins at the 2017 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the 2018 Buick LPGA Shanghai
• This is Kang’s 19th event of the 2019 season; her best finish is a tie for second at the Kia Classic and the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, and she has six other top-10 finishes
• She won the 2018 Buick LPGA Shanghai

AON RISK REWARD CHALLENGE HOLE

No. 17, par 5

TOURNAMENT SCORING RECORDS

18 holes: 64 (-8), Peiyun Chien, third round, 2018; Brooke Henderson, second round, 2019; Megan Khang, fourth round, 2019

36 holes: 133 (-11), Brooke Henderson, 2019

54 holes: 201 (-15), Jessica Korda, 2019

72 holes: 272 (-16), Danielle Kang, 2019

SOCIAL MEDIA – #DriveOn

The 21-year-old Bangkokian, after a neck-and-neck battle with two-time ATGT winner Sarit, carded an impressive birdie from the green fringe on the 17th hole to grab a lead and went on to lift his maiden title with a final 68 and a total 21 under-par-263 on the par-71 7,287-yard landscape.

His shocking win shattered the dream of Sarit, who had to win on Sunday to end the year as the Order of Merits winner on the ATGT.

Sarit was tied with Panuwat at 20 under after 15 holes and had only himself to blame for a poor bogey on the 16th that pushed him backward before settling at second on 20 under-par-264.

“I just came here hoping to make the cut,” said Panuwat, who stayed cool and calm despite playing in the leading squad in a big tournament for only the second time in his career.

“I just shut out everything around me and remained focused on my game plan. I was quite surprised to win.”

Panuwat walked away with the winner’s cheque of Bt600,000.

“The turning point was when Sarit missed his putt on the 16th while I chipped in a birdie on the 17th. I was confident from then on that I was going to win,” added Panuwat, who’s set his sights on joining the Asian Tour in 2020.

“My goal is to qualify for the Asian Tour next season. Wining the last All Thailand Golf Tour of the year really boosts my confidence.”

Itthipat Buranatanyarat, despite finishing tied fifth with Kosuke Hamamoto from Chiang Mai on 15 under-par-269, emerged the top money-maker on the tour with a total gross of Bt1.3 million, which earned him the Order of Merits title.

Sarit had to be content at third with Bt1.23 million, with Kwanchai Tannin, a two-time winner this year, finishing second with Bt1.26 million.

The Thai star overcame a wobble at the end of his final round by sticking a superb seven-iron approach shot to within three feet of the flag of the par-5 18th hole.

He was four under through 13 holes, but dropped shots on 14, 15 and 17 and bounced back for his last-hole heroics.

“It’s the first time I hit driver off to the left, just taking the fairway on. It left me, like 207 yards. I had a good line downwind and hit the seven-iron to three feet. I really needed it!” said a relieved Kiradech, who finished T8 in Korea’s only PGA Tour competition.

“I’m playing fantastic golf,” he said. “I just got disappointed on the last five or six holes. My putting was looking good all day. I started with the par on one, birdied on two and three and just quiet in the middle, and then birdied 10 and 11 and was on fire again.

“I made a mistake on 12, duffed my second shot and got par, which was quite disappointing. And then three bogeys in four holes, which was killing me. I feel I left a couple of shots out there. I’ve been away from the game for a while, so it’s good to be back playing well again. But obviously top-10 this week will bring a lot of confidence back.”

Kiradech finished 83rd in last season’s FedExCup points list.

The burly Kiradech will now have two weeks off since he did not make the cut for the PGA Tour’s first event in Japan, the Zozo Championship next week, and China’s World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions.

He hopes to use his time off to nurse an ailing right knee, where he has a partially torn ACL.

“I know I might not be playing a lot after this,” he said. “I just want to keep the same feeling, that this is the best I’ve been playing, and hopefully my knee will get fixed and I will come back and start hunting again. I believe I’m not really far off with the way I’m swinging the club, with the way my team is working with me. We are doing great.”

Kiradech totalled 12-under 276, courtesy of four straight 69s for the week and finished eight shots back of American winner Justin Thomas, who claimed his second CJ Cup title in three years.

Thomas, who will move to third place in the latest FedExCup standings with his 11th career win, shot a closing 67 to win by two shots from Danny Lee of New Zealand, while Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama finished tied third after a closing 65 alongside US Open winner Gary Woodland and Australia’s Cameron Smith.

Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond finished his campaign with a 73 to finish T65. He will play in Japan and China over the next two weeks.

The event, which takes place on Novemberr 22 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, will feature fights between the world’s greatest martial arts athletes.

Considered one of the greatest strikers of all time, Nong-O has captured nearly every accolade in Muay Thai. He made his first appearance at the famed Rajadamnern Stadium when he was just a teenager and has since competed in over 300 professional bouts.

During that time, he claimed two Thailand National Muay Thai Championships, four Lumpini Stadium Muay Thai World Championships in different divisions, and a Rajadamnern Stadium Muay Thai World Championship.

Since joining the world’s best strikers in ONE Super Series, Nong-O has dominated the competition. In February, he captured the inaugural ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title with a unanimous decision victory over Han Zi Hao. He has since successfully defended his belt twice. Now he’s taking on Saemapetch, one of the fastest rising stars in Thailand.

The former MTGP Welterweight World Champion joined ONE Super Series in 2018 and has since impressed during his time inside the ring. Saemapetch took up Muay Thai at the age of 11, and a mere three years later, he was competing at the famed Rajadamnern Stadium in Bangkok. Now training out of the renowned Fairtex camp in Pattaya, alongside the likes of Muay Thai World Champions Yodsanklai IWE Fairtex and Stamp Fairtex, Saemapetch is certainly a noteworthy talent to watch out for.

In the co-main event of the evening, former ONE World Title challengers Amir Khan of Singapore and Ev “ET” Ting of Malaysia will do battle in a lightweight mixed martial arts contest. Khan, a Singaporean Muay Thai champion, has faced the biggest names in ONE Championship’s lightweight division, including former World Champion Eduard Folayang and former featherweight World Champion Honorio Banario.

Ting, on the other hand, is coming off a spectacular come-from-behind victory against Daichi Abe last July. The Malaysian-Kiwi sensation, who is one of the world’s best lightweights, blazed a trail across Asia, New Zealand, and Australia before making waves on the global stage of ONE Championship.

Born in Malaysia, Ting was once a promising soccer player but in 2009, he decided to switch his focus to mixed martial arts and began training at a local gym in Auckland. He made his professional debut in 2011, and has since defeated proven contenders such as former ONE Welterweight World Champion Nobutatsu Suzuki, Ariel Sexton, and Kamal Shalorus.

The rest of the card is stacked with even more world-class martial artists and local talent.

Singaporean star Tiffany Teo is set to make her ONE Championship return against promotional newcomer Maira Mazar of Brazil.

Teo is one of the fastest rising stars in Asia. She began her training in taekwondo, and then later moved on to compete in Muay Thai, boxing, and finally, mixed martial arts. The former ONE Women’s Strawweight World Title challenger now welcomes Mazar to the Circle. The Brazilian is riding a two-bout win streak, and she would love to extend it to three in her ONE Championship debut.

Also on the cards is undefeated American featherweight Troy Worthen, who faces Chinese knockout artist “Rock Man” Chen Lei.

Worthen, who trains out of Evolve in Singapore, is a former NCWA Conference Champion and All-American with over 400 career wrestling matches under his belt. He made his mixed martial arts debut in 2015 and has since won all five of his bouts. He signed with ONE Championship last July and debuted with a second-round technical knockout victory over Chen Rui.

His opponent, the hard-hitting “Rock Man,” is a Shanghai Open BJJ Champion known for his fast and powerful hands. Chen started his ONE Championship career finishing his first four opponents in spectacular fashion.

Former ONE Strawweight World Champion Alex “Little Rock” Silva of Brazil is set to take on China’s Peng Xue Wen in a strawweight contest. Silva, a mainstay at Evolve in Singapore, is fresh off an impressive second-round submission victory over Stefer Rahardian. Peng, on the other hand, is a winner of two of his last three bouts.

Silva’s Evolve teammate, multiple-time Muay Thai World Champion and former ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke of Thailand, will see action against Pakistan’s Muhammad “The Spider” Imran while Singapore-based Indian martial artist Rahul “The Kerala Krusher” Raju will face Pakistan’s Ahmed “The Wolverine” Mujtaba.

Lastly, in a Muay Thai contest, Thailand’s Petchmorakot Petchyindee Academy takes on the United Kingdom’s Charlie Peters.

Playing in the final group, Jessica Korda and Danielle Kang both returned rounds of 6-under 66 on Saturday at Qizhong Garden Golf Club. Korda leads the field at a tournament-record -15, with Kang just one stroke behind at -14.

Korda carded eight birdies on Saturday, including sticking her approach for birdie at No. 18 to 3 feet, to pull one stroke ahead of Kang. Despite the low numbers on her scorecard, Korda said she’s been battling through some swing issues since arriving in Shanghai.

“I’ve been struggling a little bit with my swing, so I’ve been working on it every day. It’s slowly starting to kind of take its groove,” said Korda, who has five LPGA victories, most recently at the 2018 Honda LPGA Thailand. “And then just making some putts. You know, my speed has been pretty decent and giving myself some opportunities, which is what I need out here.”

Kang stepped to the tee at the par-4 17th two strokes off Korda’s lead. She promptly drove the green, setting up an eagle at the Aon Risk Reward Challenge hole and briefly pulling into a tie for the lead before Korda’s birdie at 18.

“I hit a dragonfly on my practice swing on the tee box so I was kind of panicking about that,” joked Kang, who is looking to defend her victory here in 2018. “Honestly, I know people might think that shouldn’t throw you off, but Olly (Brett, her caddie) was joking around the entire time that the dragonfly is okay. The yardage just came out to be a perfect 5-wood and he said I could cover the entire bunker, so went middle of the green and he said rip at it and I did.”

Brooke Henderson, who led by two strokes at the start of the day, had an up-and-down round on Saturday, carding an eagle, two birdies, three bogeys and a closing double bogey for a 1-over 73. The Canadian’s tee shot at 18 found the penalty area to the left of the fairway and she two-putted to drop to -10 overall, five strokes behind Korda.

Japan’s Nasa Hataoka and American rookie Kristen Gillman are tied for fourth at -9. Rolex Rankings No. 1 Jin Young Ko shot a 68 on Saturday and is tied for eighth at -6.

KORDA COMFORTABLE PLAYING ALL AROUND THE WORLD

With five victories in five countries, Jessica Korda makes the jet-set life of an LPGA player look easy. Already with wins to her name in Australia, the Bahamas, Malaysia, Thailand and the United States, she is just 18 holes away from adding the People’s Republic of China to that winning roster.

Korda attributed that comfort on the road to all the miles she logged as a child, following the career of her father, 1998 Australian Open tennis champion Petr Korda.

“Luckily, I got to travel with my dad when I was a kid, so I’m used to living out of a suitcase. Hotel rooms are homes. It’s just another week,” said Korda. “I would just say that foreign golf courses suit me more and maybe jet lag plays some type of positive in that.”

KANG LOOKING FOR BIRTHDAY MAGIC

In 2018, Danielle Kang celebrated her 26th birthday in style, turning one year older on Saturday, Oct. 20, and capturing the Buick LPGA Shanghai win on Sunday, Oct. 21. Fast forward a year and she could ring in her 27th year in the same fashion. She sits one stroke off the lead heading into the final round, which this year sits on her birthday.

“Game plan is to stay aggressive with the way I map out the golf course,” said Kang, who came back from a one-stroke deficit in 2018, her same trailing margin in 2019. “Yes, it is my birthday. I’m very excited. Honestly, tomorrow my mom and I are going The Bund (a scenic waterfront area in Shanghai) and I’m excited about that because I haven’t been still. I don’t know, really don’t have a game plan except that. For my birthday plans, that’s about it. For golf, just got to keep trusting my golf shots and my read.”

WITH AN WIN

Jessica Korda would earn her sixth LPGA Tour victory spanning six countries; she has won in Australia (2012 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open), the Bahamas (2014 Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic), the United States (2014 Airbus LPGA Classic presented by JTBC), Malaysia (2015 Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia) and Thailand (2018 Honda LPGA Thailand)

Danielle Kang would successfully defend her title from the 2018 Buick LPGA Shanghai and earn her third LPGA victory

Korda or Kang would become the fifth American winner on Tour in 2019, joining Cydney Clanton, Cheyenne Knight, Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson

Brooke Henderson would earn her 10th career LPGA Tour victory; she is already the winningest Canadian golfer in the history of the LPGA and PGA Tours, one win ahead of Sandra Post, Mike Weir and George Knudson

Henderson would earn her third title of the season, joining the LOTTE Championship and the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, and would win three times in a season for the first time in her career

PLAYER NOTES

Rolex Rankings No. 19 Jessica Korda (68-67-66)

• She hit 11 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens, with 28 putts
• Korda is in her ninth season on the LPGA Tour; she has five career victories, most recently at the 2018 Honda LPGA Thailand
• This is Korda’s 15th event of the 2019 season; her best finish is a tie for second at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup and she has three other top-10 finishes
• She is playing in her first Buick LPGA Shanghai

Rolex Rankings No. 16 Danielle Kang (69-67-66)

• She hit 10 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens, with 27 putts
• Kang is in her eighth season on the LPGA Tour; she has wins at the 2017 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the 2018 Buick LPGA Shanghai
• This is Kang’s 19th event of the 2019 season; her best finish is a tie for second at the Kia Classic and the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, and she has six other top-10 finishes
• She won the 2018 Buick LPGA Shanghai

Rolex Rankings No. 6 Brooke Henderson (69-64-73)

• She hit 10 of 14 fairways and nine of 18 greens, with 26 putts
• Henderson is in her fifth season on the LPGA Tour; she is a nine-time winner on the LPGA Tour and is the winningest Canadian player in LPGA and PGA Tour history
• This is Henderson’s 24th event of the 2019 season; she won the LOTTE Championship and the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, and has eight other top-10 finishes
• She tied for 26th at the 2018 Buick LPGA Shanghai

AON RISK REWARD CHALLENGE HOLE

No. 17, par 5

TOURNAMENT SCORING RECORDS

18 holes: 64 (-8), Peiyun Chien, third round, 2018; Brooke Henderson, second round, 2019

36 holes: 133 (-11), Brooke Henderson, 2019

54 holes: 201 (-15), Jessica Korda, 2019

72 holes: 275 (-13), Danielle Kang, 2018

After dropping bogeys on 10 and 13 which erased his gains on the third and fourth holes, the burly Kiradech bounced back strongly to finish his round with birdies on the 14^th, 15^th and 18^th holes, missing a putt for eagle on the last.

Kiradech’s three-day total of 9-under 207 left him six shots back of co-leaders Justin Thomas (70) and Danny Lee (68) who are three clear of Australia’s Cameron Smith (68) in Korea’s only PGA TOUR tournament.

“I don’t think I’m rolling the putts well (again) today. I think I’m hitting it incredibly good. Today was the first day I feel I’m playing solid golf again. Two bogeys coming from two three putts and I missed putts inside of 10, 12 feet, maybe on five, six holes. I left a couple shots out there. And three birdies in the last five holes were good,” said Kiradech.

He tallied 32 putts with the flat stick for the second straight day and hopes he can figure out the tricky greens at The Club @ Nine Bridges on Sunday to make a title challenge. “Holing more putts is the key. The way I’m swinging it right now, I’m ready to go out and start hunting again. I don’t think I’m doing anything wrong right now, so I’m just working on what I’m doing right,” said Kiradech, the first Thai to play full time on the PGA TOUR.

Kiradech is unperturbed with the six shot deficit as The Club @ Nine Bridges has yielded low scores in the past, including a 63 during the second round by Thomas.

“It depends on how I start, I think the confidence really needs to get in the game.  I would say if you hit it at the right spot, you’ll have a bunch of birdies but we have to make sure you don’t make a mistake. You can’t hit into the rough here as the greens are quite firm. Hopefully I will roll the ball better tomorrow, I’m not that far off,” said Kiradech.

“Obviously, you’ve seen Justin Thomas shoot 63 in the second round, which is just, I mean, this can happen. Par 5s are reachable, so that makes it possible.”

Countryman Jazz Janewattananond shot a 70 for T61 position on 2-over 218.