19-year-old Choi’s game on rise and on display

Hye Jin Choi’s best club in her bag is also her favorite.

Prior to teeing it up for the fourth time at Ko Olina in the LPGA Lotte Championship, the 19-year-old was asked if she could play an entire round with only one club, what would it be?

“Driver for me,” she said.

The 5-foot-6 native of South Korea, playing her first LPGA event of the season as a Lotte-sponsored entrant, led all 144 golfers after the first round with a driving average of 304 yards.

She kept that up in Friday’s third round, averaging 288 yards off the tee, but a 2-under 70 that left her alone in sixth place at 10 under heading into today’s final round could have been a bit better if she’d hit more than eight fairways.

“Rather than focusing on distance and how far I can hit it, I just want to be able to match my driver and the shots to the course,” Choi said through a translator. “Just focusing on adapting to the course and just making controlled shots rather than focusing on the defense.”

Choi, who won player of the year and rookie of the year on the LPGA Tour of Korea in 2018, made her LPGA debut four years ago when she played in the Lotte Championship as a 15-year-old.

She missed the cut that year but steadily improved in her next two appearances here, with a tie for 30th two years ago after finishing at 8 under.

“That first year I was really young and I don’t think I did very well,” Choi said. “Every time I’ve been coming back I’ve been gaining more experience and feeling like I’m adapting more to Hawaii, the course, and the weather here.”

Her 70 on Friday left her four shots behind co-leaders Brooke Henderson and Nelly Korda. The wind has picked up considerably in the two days since Choi fired a 65 to start the tournament on Wednesday.

She needed just 24 putts in that opening round but has averaged more than 30 in each of her past two. It has become harder to land approach shots close to the hole.

“It was very windy out there, which made it a big challenge around the course,” Choi said. “We don’t know what the conditions are going to bring (today) in the round. I just need to keep focus and just keep steady going into (today).”

Choi’s length contributed to her round-saving eagle on the par-5 13th, which answered her only bogey at No. 12.

“In the middle of the round there was a mistake, but felt good coming back with an eagle on 13,” Choi said.

Choi turned pro in August 2017 after nearly making history at the U.S. Women’s Open a month earlier.

She held the lead with three holes to go, but her shot to become the youngest winner in tournament history ended when she put a ball into the water on the par-3 16th and finished with a double bogey to end up second behind winner Sung Hyun Park.

She played in three more majors in 2018, and this week is her 14th LPGA event overall. A good finish today would help her achieve her goal of earning full status on the LPGA Tour.

“It’s a goal of mine to make it out here,” Choi said. “So if that opportunity comes to present itself, of course I am going to take that.”