EVIAN, September 13, 2014 (AFP) - Teenager Kim, who shot a record 61 in the first round, had a second successive 72 and finished on eight under par, one ahead of seasoned veteran Karrie Webb on 206 and two better than fellow-South Korean Hur Mi Jung.
While Kim is a 19-year-old newcomer, Webb is the former world No.1 who could be a real threat.
And the 39-year-old has her heart set on an unprecedented clean sweep of the women's majors.
In her career she has already won the US and Women's British Opens, the Kraft Nabisco and LPGA Championships and the now defunct du Maurier Classic. A win on Sunday would be her sixth different major and the eight in all.
Webb, a seven-time major champion, kept her cool on a day made difficult by some tricky pin positions that suggested the organisers wanted to get their own back for Kim's opening ten under par round.
The 2006 Evian champion opened with a birdie and finished in style with another at the 18th from 15-feet.
"I'm just happy to be in this position. It's been a while," said Webb.
"I was proud of the way I scrambled today and I've got a lot of friends here so it would be great to win my eighth major tomorrow."
And a name for the Webb slam of six different majors? "Let's wait and see what happens tomorrow before I think about that," she cautioned.
Kim had five bogeys and four birdies and the majority of the field had tales of woe. Hur was sharing the lead until she hit her second shot into water and took a triple-bogey six at the short 16th.
"It was a hard day but I played solid," said the three-time winner on this seasons's Korean LPGA Tour.
Suzann Pettersen, the defending champion, double-bogeyed the 17th and finished with a 74 for three under par and the same mark as World No.1 Stacy Lewis. The American bogeyed the final two holes
For halfway leader Brittany Lincicome it started horribly with two double-bogeys and it got even worse with an eight at the par five eighth in an outward half of 41.
But all credit to the 28-year-old as she went on to salvage a 77 and is not out of it at four behind Kim on four under par.
Admitting to nerves, Lincicome sent her opening tee shot down the 18th fairway and her third shot into a bunker. Then there was more sand and three putts at the short second. The triple bogey eight was again the result of bunker bother.
"I feel like I did all the same things I did yesterday," said a disappointed American.
"The bunkers? I mean, there is so much silly sand in these bunkers. It's impossible to get it out."
The best round of the day was a four under par 67 from South Korea's Choi Na Yeon. It lifted the 2012 US Women's Open Champion into the tie for sixth on four under par.
Leading third round scores Saturday at the Evian Championship USLPGA golf tournament (par 71):
205 - Kim Hyo-Joo (KOR) 61 72 72
206 - Karrie Webb (AUS) 65 71 70
207 - Hur Mi Jung (KOR) 66 69 72
208 - Mariajo Uribe (COL) 68 70 70, Anna Nordqvist (SWE) 71 67 70
209 - Choi Na Yeon (KOR) 70 72 67, Jang Ha-Na (KOR) 70 71 68, Lydia Ko (NZL) 69 68 72, Brittany Lincicome (USA) 67 65 77
210 - Park Inbee (KOR) 69 72 69, Stacy Lewis (USA) 70 67 73, Suzann Pettersen (NOR) 67 69 74
211 - Lexi Thompson (USA) 70 70 71, Kim In Kyung (KOR) 69 69 73
212 - Ayako Uehara (JPN) 69 73 70, Paula Creamer (USA) 69 71 72, Minjee Lee (AUS) 72 67 73, Moriya Jutanugarn (THA) 69 68 75
213 - Jane Park (USA) 74 72 67, Karine Icher (FRA) 68 73 72, Julieta Granada (PAR) 68 72 73, Feng Shanshan (CHN) 70 70 73
214 - Amelia Lewis (USA) 70 76 68, Charley Hull (GBR) 71 73 70, Yoo Sun Young (KOR) 76 68 70, Candie Kung (TAI) 69 74 71, Azahara Munoz (SPA) 70 72 72, Line Vedel (DEN) 70 72 72, Park Hee Young (KOR) 72 70 72