Soo Bin Joo Is 8 Under and the Rest of the LPGA Field Is Absolutely Dazed

You guys watching this LPGA action?! Because Soo Bin Joo just dropped a BOMB on the field at the ShopRite LPGA, taking a massive FOUR-stroke lead into the final round! Seriously, while everyone else was getting battered by that heavy wind in Galloway, N.J., Joo just went out there and shot a 3-under 68, cruising to 8 under for the tournament. The Bay Course at Seaview was showing its teeth, man, and she barely flinched after being three strokes back on Friday.

Soo Bin Joo's Bogey-Free Run That Stunned Everyone

What a performance, seriously. After being three strokes back from Friday's leaders, Joo just turned it on. She started with a bogey on the first hole, yeah, a little hiccup, but that was it! Blemish-free the rest of the day, sinking four birdies, including clutch ones on the final two holes. The wind was absolutely brutal out there on the Bay Course, and you saw it in the scores. The best round of the day was only 3-under, with just 20 out of 139 competitors even breaking par. On Friday, we saw an 8-under round! It just shows you how much grit Joo had to shoot a 68 in those conditions. This 22-year-old from South Korea is chasing her first LPGA victory, and you can tell how much it means to her. She said it herself: "Winning an LPGA tournament would be a dream come true." You love to see it, man!

The LPGA Field Just Couldn't Handle the Wind

Joo's sitting pretty at 8 under, and get this, she's literally TWICE as far below par as anyone else in the field! There's a whole logjam of five players tied at 4 under, including twin sisters Chizzy and Aki Iwai, South Korea's Somi Lee, France's Celine Boutier, and Israel's Laetitia Beck. Remember Beck's insane bogey-free 8-under 63 on Friday? Yeah, she fell way back to the pack, shooting a 4-over 75 on Saturday! She was hitting fairways but just couldn't find the greens, only 8 of 18, and took 30 putts. She pretty much summed it up, saying "Today was extremely windy, so it definitely was much harder to judge club selections, and putts were also much harder." She wasn't alone, either. All six players who tore it up on Friday with 6-under or better rounds then shot 3 over or worse on Saturday. Even defending champ Jennifer Kupcho is out, missing the cut after a 77. The only real drama in that chasing pack was Chizzy Iwai, who bounced back from back-to-back bogeys with a wild eagle on the ninth, finishing with just 24 putts. She said it was "so lucky," but hey, sometimes you need that bounce! So, the stage is set for Sunday's final round at the ShopRite LPGA, and you know all eyes are on Soo Bin Joo. Can she close it out and snag that first LPGA victory she's been dreaming about? With a four-stroke cushion, it's hers to lose, but anything can happen in golf. You KNOW the Emerald City will be cheering her on! Let's get it!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.