Moving day at the Dow Championship was not exactly a sprint. It was more like a trust fall.
Saturday’s third round at Midland Country Club shifted the LPGA’s lone team event back into foursomes, and alternate shot did what alternate shot often does. It squeezed the leaderboard, exposed small mistakes and made every awkward yardage, gust of wind and 5-foot comebacker feel like it belonged to two people instead of one.
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Through all of that, Hyo Joo Kim and Hye-Jin Choi did enough to take control.
The Korean duo, playing under the team name Team Lotte, posted a 1-under 69 to move to 10-under 200 and take a one-shot lead into Sunday’s final round. In a format where rhythm can disappear quickly and birdie looks are harder to manufacture, their four-birdie, three-bogey card was one of only six under-par rounds on the day.
That was the story of Saturday. It was not about who went low. It was about who avoided going backward.
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(L-R) Hye-Jin Choi and Hyo Joo Kim of South Korea on the 18th green during the third round of the 2026 Dow Championship at Midland Country Club on June 13, 2026, in Midland, Michigan. Photo by Raj Mehta/Getty Images
Team Lotte Grabs the Lead on a Tougher Day
Kim and Choi entered the third round firmly in the mix after rounds of 69 and 62, then handled the more demanding format well enough to separate by one.
The numbers tell part of the story. Friday’s four-ball round produced a scoring average of 68.204. Saturday’s alternate-shot round jumped to 72.145, turning Midland Country Club into a far different test. Add breezy, gusty conditions that peaked in the low 30s, and the day became less about fireworks and more about patience.
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That fits Kim beautifully. The Rolex Rankings No. 3 player already has two LPGA Tour wins this season and entered the week second in the Race to CME Globe. Choi, ranked No. 17 in the world, is still looking for her first LPGA Tour victory despite 32 career top-10 finishes and a resume that includes 12 wins on the KLPGA.
Together, they now have a chance to make Sunday matter in two very different ways.
For Kim, a victory would be her third of the 2026 LPGA Tour season and the 10th of her career. For Choi, it would be a breakthrough win in her 114th LPGA Tour start.
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Choi kept the final-round mindset simple.
“Rather than foursomes, four-ball is obviously easier for the players, so for tomorrow for four-ball, the mindset will just be doing our best individually and hopefully that will translate,” Choi said.
That is the beauty of this event. Saturday asked teams to survive together. Sunday will ask them to attack together.
Wilson and Kim Stay Right There
Right behind the leaders are Gina Kim and Yana Wilson, who sit at 9-under after an even-par 70.
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Their day included two birdies and two bogeys, with the biggest moment coming at the last. Wilson birdied No. 18 to move the team into solo second, one shot behind Kim and Choi.
That closing birdie could matter.
Wilson is a 2026 rookie making her first appearance in the Dow Championship. Gina Kim has played the event before with multiple partners but had never made the cut in this format. Together, under the team name Weapons of Grass Destruction, they now have a real chance to chase their first LPGA Tour victories.
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A win would make Wilson and Kim the first two Rolex First-Time Winners of the 2026 season. It would also make them the second straight Dow Championship team to use this event as the place where both players broke through for the first time.
There are easier places to chase a first win than a Sunday team shootout, but four-ball gives them the exact format they would want. They do not need to be perfect together on every shot. They need freedom, birdies and enough trust to let each player lean into her own game.
Lee and Vu Refuse to Go Away
Alison Lee and Lilia Vu are two shots back at 8-under after a 69 that had plenty of drama packed inside it.
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Their round included four birdies, but also a triple bogey on the par-4 16th after Lee hit a tee shot out of bounds. That kind of mistake could have taken a team completely out of the championship. Instead, Lee and Vu stayed close enough to keep themselves squarely in the Sunday conversation.
They also have the kind of partnership that can be dangerous in four-ball.
Lee said the pairing has worked because they have kept the week relaxed.
“I feel like we just kept it really light out there,” Lee said. “I mean, we didn’t really even talk much golf at all. Even during our practice rounds we didn’t really talk much strategy at all. Just kind of caught up and have just been enjoying the week.”
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Vu echoed the idea that Sunday is the time to free things up.
“Just being more aggressive and there is nothing to lose,” Vu said. “I trust her game and hopefully she trusts mine and we can go out there and have fun.”
That is exactly the right formula from two shots back. Lee and Vu do not need to protect anything. They need to press.
For Lee, a victory would be her first on the LPGA Tour in her 201st start and would make her the first Rolex First-Time Winner of 2026. For Vu, it would be her sixth career LPGA Tour win and first since the 2024 Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give.
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By The Numbers
Why Saturday Played So Different
72.145
Round 3 scoring average
68.204
Round 2 scoring average
6
Under-par rounds Saturday
1
Shot separating first and second
Saturday’s alternate-shot format turned the Dow Championship from a birdie race into a survival test. Sunday’s four-ball format should bring the chase back to life.
Grant and Stark Still Have a Chance
Maja Stark and Linn Grant are part of the group at 7-under, three shots behind the leaders.
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That is not an impossible deficit in four-ball, especially in a team event where one hot stretch can flip the entire leaderboard. But Saturday showed how difficult it can be to stay sharp when the format disrupts normal competitive rhythm.
Stark explained the challenge well.
“It gets tough when, you know, all of a sudden you have a 5-iron instead of a wedge that you had your last approach shot on and it was several holes ago,” Stark said. “So it’s a little bit weird, and you just kind of have to trust that you know it deep down how to do it.”
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Grant made it clear they still believe they are close enough.
“It will be a hunt tomorrow,” Grant said. “If we can produce a really good score, I think we’ll have a chance to be up there.”
That is the correct read. At 7-under, they need help. They also need a number. But Sunday’s format gives them a path.
Sunday Sets Up as a Birdie Chase
Dow Championship
Final-Round Chase Board
1. Hyo Joo Kim / Hye-Jin Choi
Team Lotte
-10
2. Gina Kim / Yana Wilson
Weapons of Grass Destruction
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-9
3. Alison Lee / Lilia Vu
Lavuvu
-8
T4. Two teams
Still within striking distance
-7
Sunday setup: The final round returns to four-ball, meaning the leaderboard could move quickly if one chasing team catches fire early.
The Dow Championship is at its best when the format creates two different events inside the same tournament. Friday was a scoring fest. Saturday was a grind. Sunday should feel more like Friday again.
Kim and Choi will begin the final round with the lead, but not much cushion. Wilson and Kim are one back. Lee and Vu are two back. Two more teams are sitting at 7-under. With four-ball returning, there is no reason to believe the leaderboard is done moving.
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The final round will likely come down to which team can balance aggression with patience. In four-ball, one player can take on a flag while the other protects the hole. One player can be freed up by the other’s position. One birdie can turn into three quickly.
That is where Kim and Choi have the advantage and the challenge.
They earned the lead on the hardest day of the tournament. Now they have to play Sunday like the lead is not enough.
Because at the Dow Championship, one shot is not protection. It is only a head start.
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Final Round
Pressure Meter
Kim / Choi
Protect and attack
They own the lead, but four-ball makes one shot feel thin.
Wilson / Kim
First-win chase
One back with both players chasing their first LPGA Tour victory.
Lee / Vu
Nothing to lose
Two back, loose and dangerous heading back into four-ball.
PGA of America Golf Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer who serves as Athlon Sports Senior Golf Writer. Read his recent “The Starter” on R.org, where he is their Lead Golf Writer. To stay updated on all of his latest work, sign up for his newsletter or visit his MuckRack Profile.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2026, where it first appeared in the Golf section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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