Hye-Jin Choi Is Due. Like, Really Due.

by Sissi Hai

A little women's golf appreciation this weekend, because there's a pretty good storyline unfolding in Shanghai, where home used to be.

South Korea's Hye-Jin Choi is 18 holes away from something that's somehow eluded her throughout an otherwise impressive career: her first LPGA Tour victory.

The 27-year-old holds a one-shot lead at the Buick LPGA Shanghai after a third-round 69 put her at 9 under through 54 holes.

And if her name sounds familiar, there's a good reason.

Choi has been making noise in women's golf since she was 17, when she finished runner-up at the 2017 U.S. Women's Open as an amateur. She went on to win 12 times on the Korean LPGA Tour, collecting three consecutive Player of the Year honors before making the jump to the LPGA Tour in 2022.

Since then? Plenty of close calls, but no wins.

She's come agonizingly close, including runner-up finishes at the 2025 Meijer LPGA Classic and Maybank Championship. For someone with her résumé, it's a little surprising that the first LPGA trophy is still missing.

But don't hand it to her just yet.

Six-time LPGA winner Amy Yang is lurking just one shot behind at 8 under, while China's Ruoning Yin is two back at 7 under, with a home crowd to cheer her on.

Choi opened the week with a bogey-free 64, caught eight birdies, stumbled to a 74 on Friday and steadied herself with a 69 on Saturday. Not exactly a straight line to the top, but she's still the one everyone is chasing.

Twelve wins in Korea. Nearly a decade since her U.S. Women's Open breakthrough. Plenty of Sundays spent knocking on the door.

Could this finally be the one?