Breathless Rivalry: Seo Kyo-rim Grabs 3rd Round Lead at KLPGA Championship, Kim Min-sol Trails in Second

The fierce battle for the multi-win title in this season's Korea Ladies Professional Golf (KLPGA) Tour continued into the third round of the BC Card·Hankyung 48th KLPGA Championship (total purse of 1.5 billion won), the second major of the season, as same-age 2006-born rivals Seo Kyo-rim and Kim Min-sol fought for the top spot.

Playing through harsh weather conditions during today's (August 22) third round at the Garden and Palace courses (par 72) of Pocheon Hills Country Club in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, Seo Kyo-rim carded a 3-under 69 with three birdies and no bogeys.

With a cumulative total of 10-under 206, Seo took a three-stroke lead over second-place Kim Min-sol.

The two players will square off in an uncompromising head-to-head showdown in tomorrow's (August 23) final round, battling for the major trophy and their first four-win title of the season.

Seo and Kim are currently tied for the lead in multi-wins with three victories each this season.

Coincidentally, across four tournaments held in June, they traded victories in the alternating sequence of Seo, Kim, Seo, and Kim, sharpening their rivalry.

Fans call this competitive dynamic the "Sollim Showdown" or "Imsol Showdown," combining syllables from their names.

The winner of this tournament will secure her fourth victory of the season, gaining an upper hand in the multi-win race.

Today's third round was held amid adverse weather, including a suspension from 1:07 PM to 3:35 PM due to rain and lightning forecasts.

While the majority of players struggled with the slippery course conditions, Seo played with unwavering composure.

She claimed her first birdie on the 3rd hole (par 5) by placing her third shot 2.2 meters from the pin, and added another birdie on the 5th hole (par 4) after sticking her second shot within 2.4 meters and sinking the putt.

She then calmly maintained her round with a string of nine consecutive pars.

She grabbed her third birdie on the 15th hole (par 4).

After placing her second shot 2.5 meters from the hole, she capitalized on the birdie opportunity.

On the other hand, Kim Min-sol suffered a setback on the 3rd hole (par 5) when her third shot landed in the rough, leading to a double bogey that dropped her down the leaderboard.

However, Kim did not unravel further.

She steadied her score by sinking back-to-back birdies on the 7th hole (par 4) and 8th hole (par 4), and picked up another birdie on the 17th hole (par 4) by placing her second shot 2.5 meters from the cup.

Kim Min-ju, who has yet to secure a victory this season, shot a 4-under 68 today, while Ko Ji-woo carded a 2-under 70, putting them tied for third place at 6-under 210 after three rounds.

Park Bo-gyem, Park Hye-jun, and Jung So-yi finished tied for fifth at 5-under 211.

(Photo provided by KLPGA Tour, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.