Choi has strong start at LPGA South Korea to move into a tie for 2nd place after 3 rounds

HAENAM, South Korea (AP) — Hye-Jin Choi had an eagle and seven birdies on her first 11 holes Saturday on a rain-soaked Pine Beach Golf Links to shoot a 6-under 66 and move into tie for second place after three rounds of the LPGA South Korea tournament.

Second-round leader Haeran Ryu, who birdied her last three holes, still led the tournament by four strokes after a 4-under 68 and a three-round total of 17-under 199.

Choi shot 28 on her front nine and was 9-under before she bogeyed the par-5 12th after hitting into a fairway bunker. She made a double-bogey seven on the 17th after missing an eight-foot par putt after hitting into hazard off the green with her fairway wood.

Steady rain forced course officials to use roller squeegees to remove water from the greens. Most of the final groups took six hours to complete their rounds.

Minji Park shot 65 and was also tied for second with Choi and Yuri Yoshida (68).

Choi is still looking for her first victory in 125 career LPGA Tour starts as a member. She has held or shared a 54-hole lead five times in her LPGA career without converting it into a win.

Last week in Shanghai, Choi was runner-up by one stroke to China's Ruoning Yin after the South Korean golfer led after each of the first three rounds.

Defending champion Sei Young Kim, who ended a five-year victory drought in 2025 with a win last year in South Korea, shot 77 Saturday and was at even par.

In its late-season Asian swing, the LPGA Tour moves to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia next week for the Maybank Championship, the third of four events.

See AP’s full golf coverage here

South Korea's Haeran Ryu tees off on the 18th hole during the third round of the LPGA BMW Ladies Championship at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam, South Korea, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

South Korea's Haeran Ryu walks on the 18th green during the third round of the LPGA BMW Ladies Championship at the Pine Beach Golf Links, in Haenam, South Korea, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

South Korea's Hye-jin Choi watches her shot on the 18th hole during the third round of the LPGA BMW Ladies Championship at the Pine Beach Golf Links, in Haenam, South Korea, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

South Korea's Haeran Ryu lines up a putt on the 18th green during the third round of the LPGA BMW Ladies Championship at the Pine Beach Golf Links, in Haenam, South Korea, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

BERLIN (AP) — A fire tore through the retreat built for Adolf Hitler in the Bavarian Alps known as the Eagle's Nest, and work to extinguish it was still in progress Saturday, authorities said. A person was detained in connection with the blaze.

The building was badly damaged by the fire and it's not yet clear whether parts of it can be preserved, the local tourism authority said.

A fire alarm at the building in the Berchtesgaden district in Germany's southeastern corner went off at about 9:15 p.m. on Friday, police said in a statement. Firefighters who went to the scene could see the flames as they approached the site, on a cliff 1,834 meters (6,017 feet) above sea level.

Getting fire engines to the site proved difficult because of its location, and work was still ongoing to put out the fire on Saturday morning, police said. The building and its immediate surroundings could only be accessed with respiratory protection equipment.

Firefighters found no one in the building and authorities believe at present that no one was injured.

Police said a person was detained as a possible suspect, but it has yet to be determined whether they had anything to do with the fire.

The building, the Kehlsteinhaus, was completed in 1938 and is reachable by an elevator from the end of a winding road up the mountain, in part through a series of tunnels, which is closed to public traffic but used by buses for visitors.

It has been operated as a cafe and restaurant since 1952 and contains an exhibition on its history. It was not open on Friday before the fire broke out.

The Kehlsteinhaus on the Obersalzberg near Berchtesgaden, which was severely damaged by a fire, Saturday, Oct.24, 2026. ( Jason Tschepljakow/dpa via AP)

The Kehlsteinhaus on the Obersalzberg near Berchtesgaden, which was severely damaged by a fire, Saturday, Oct.24, 2026. ( Jason Tschepljakow/dpa via AP)

This July 26, 2007 photo shows the Kehlsteinhaus, or Eagle's Nest, built for Adolf Hitler in 1938 near Berchtesgaden, Germany. (AP Photo/Geir Moulson)