Kim Hyo-joo ties for third at the Women's PGA Championship

Kim Hyo-joo tied for third at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club in John Creek, Georgia alongside Giulia Molinaro of Italy with 10-under-par, 278 on Sunday.

Kim Hyo-joo plays her shot from the 15th tee during the second round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club on Friday in Johns Creek, Georgia. [AFP/YONHAP]

Kim Hyo-joo tied for third at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club in John Creek, Georgia alongside Giulia Molinaro of Italy with 10-under-par, 278 on Sunday.

Kim and Molinaro shared a distant third, trailing well behind Nelly Korda of the United States at 19-under-par, 269, and runner-up Lizette Salas, also of the United States, at 16-under-par, 272.

Kim started out the first round with two birdies and a bogey but the next day, she pulled off a bogeyless round with three birdies.

Kim kept going strong with three birdies in the first nine-holes of the third round, but slipped up on the par-4 11th, double-bogeying the hole. She managed to repair the damage with a birdie on the par-5 12th, and finished the third round at six-under-par.

Kim went into the final round tied at ninth with six-under-par, but caught up with three consecutive birdies on the par-4 sixth, par-3 seventh and par-4 eighth.

She birdied again on the par-4 10th, slotting in a long putt to climb up the leaderboard to fifth. She bogeyed the par-3 15th, but landed two more birdies on the par-3 17th and the par-5 18th to finish tied at third.

This is Kim’s second-best result this season, after winning the HSBC Women's World Championship in April.

Amy Yang was the only other Korean to finish in the top 10, tied at ninth with two other golfers with nine-under-par.

Kim Sei-young and Ko Jin-young walk from the first tee during the second round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club on Friday in Johns Creek, Georgia. [AFP/YONHAP]

Defending champion Kim Sei-young trailed behind Yang at 12th alongside two other golfers with five-under-par. Her first round score of four-over-par with two double bogies held her down despite three under-par rounds.

Kim Hyo-joo is currently ranked at No. 8 in the world, with her performance over the weekend set to lock in an Olympic berth, alongside Ko Jin-young, Park In-bee and Kim Sei-young.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]