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| OneAsia |
Rory McIlroy suffered a frustrating third day at the Kolon Korea Open, missing birdie putts on the way to the ninth and with no better fortune on the run for home at the Woo Jeong Hills Country Club - to finally card a 75.
The worlds number 6 now heads into Sunday at one over and tied for 13th place.
Kim Hyung-tae will take a commanding four-stroke lead into the final round of OneAsia's Kolon Korea Open on Sunday after a flawless five-under-par 66 that left him nine under for the tournament.
Overnight leader Hong Soon-sang kept pace on the outward nine of the 6,582-metre (7,198-yard) Woo Jeong Hills Country Club course, but three bogeys coming home saw him slip to sole second place with a 71.
Kim, winner of the Korean PGA Championship earlier this year -- his fifth title on the domestic tour -- took command of the one billion won (U.S. $950,000) tournament with four birdies in five holes from the fourth.
"I had a good feeling about this week," said the 36-year-old, whose wife gave birth to their first son last month.
"We've tried seven years to have a child and so whenever I need a boost, I just look at his face, or his picture, and it makes me very happy."
Kim has been a fixture on the Korean tour since turning pro in 2000, but spent last year in Japan before losing his card after a frustrating season where his best finish was joint 16th.
A member of OneAsia since the tour's founding in 2009, Kim lost to China's Liang Wenchong in a three-hole playoff at the 2010 Chengdu Luxehills Open. The two have since become close friends.
"I am playing with confidence," said Kim, who will become the first player in 42 years to do the Korean "Major Double" if he adds the Open crown to his PGA Championship title.
"I think there is a reason why people can't do it, it's hard," he said. "I will try to focus only on my game tomorrow and not think about history."
McIlroy, whose presence here has boosted the ranking points for the tournament, said he would try to go low in Sunday's final round.
"Last time here (in 2011) I shot 64 in the last round so it would need something probably similar or a little better to have a chance," he said.
"A frustrating day, because I was in contention after two days and if you shoot a solid score today you're right in there. I've just got to go out there tomorrow and shoot the best score that I can."
The Northern Irishman's day was summed up by the double-bogey he made on the par-four 10th. He splayed his tee shot to the right and had to improvise a left-handed recovery pitch from the base of a tree before landing his approach to within 15 feet of the pin. Three putts later he walked off shaking his head.
"I just think the story of the day is that I missed a lot of putts, missed a lot of chances for birdies at the start of the round and then missed a few short ones for pars in the middle and end of the round. That's really what it was," he said.
"It's a struggle, especially where they've put some of the pin positions. It's tough to get yourself to commit to a certain line because you'll hit a few and they'll go through the break, and some turn more than others. It's just tough to commit to the line you choose."
Winless since changing club manufacturer earlier this year, McIlroy refused to be downcast.
"I wanted to come here and play; it's nothing about trying to build confidence or anything like that. I guess more than anything else I wanted to shake the rust off this week and try and get into contention -- and obviously try to win."
Second-placed Hong was disappointed with his effort and conceded he had a mountain to climb.
"Four shots is a little bit too much, but nobody knows what will happen tomorrow," he said.
Defending champion Kim Dae-sub, meanwhile, seeking his fourth Korea Open title and second as a professional, moved into fourth place with a bogey-free 68 that left him at three under.
On a scoreboard dominated by Koreans, Thailand-based Scot Simon Yates (71) and Canadian Ryan Yip (73) were the next best of the foreigners and go into the final round sharing 21st place at three over.
Shot of the day belonged to Park Sang-eon who aced the 222-yard (200-metre) par three 13th with a sweetly struck four iron to win a BMW 750Li worth $190 million won (U.S. $180,000).
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