Super Rookie Kim Min-sol Ties for 2nd on First Day of KLPGA Championship; Seo Gyo-rim Tied for 11th

Twenty-year-old KLPGA Tour same-age rivals Kim Min-sol and Seo Gyo-rim engaged in a tight battle from the very first day of the season's second major tournament, the BC Card·Hankyung 48th KLPGA Championship.

Kim Min-sol, who is chasing her third win of the season, shot a 4-under 68 in the opening round at the Garden and Palace courses of Pocheon Hills Country Club in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, carding one eagle, five birdies, and three bogeys.

Kim, who let a victory slip away last week at the Mediheal·Hankook Ilbo Championship after suffering a comeback defeat to Seo Gyo-rim, finished tied for second—one stroke behind sole leader Song Eun-a at 5-under—and pulled ahead of Seo, who played in the same group.

Although Kim's driving accuracy was relatively low at 61.5%, her precise iron shots stood out as she missed the green on only three occasions.

Starting from the 10th hole, Kim stayed even par through her first nine holes with two birdies and two bogeys, before sinking a 10.8-meter birdie putt on the 3rd hole followed by a 6.4-meter putt on the 4th hole to grab back-to-back birdies.

Maintaining her 2-under score with a bogey on the 5th hole and a birdie on the 7th, Kim boosted her momentum with a spectacular shot eagle on the par-4 8th hole.

She cheered as her second shot from a distance of 113 meters went straight into the hole.

"I had the exact distance left that I wanted, so I played a controlled shot with my pitching wedge," Kim said. "It flew along the exact trajectory I imagined, making for a pleasant eagle."

She added, "In last week's tournament, I made a tee shot mistake at a crucial moment. If a chance to win comes this week, I will stay focused to make sure I don't repeat that mistake."

If Kim wins this tournament, she will achieve back-to-back major victories following the Korea Women's Open in June and write a new history as the first rookie to secure four wins in a season.

Seo Gyo-rim, who shares three wins this season alongside Kim, finished the first day tied for 11th two strokes behind Kim at 2-under 70, recording three birdies and one bogey.

Showing a stable tee shot with an 84.6% driving accuracy, Seo failed to capitalize on many birdie opportunities as her putting did not cooperate well.

"I wasn't able to completely figure out the slowed green speeds caused by the rain," Seo said, looking forward to the remaining rounds by adding, "If you stay calm and wait, birdie chances will come again."

Song Eun-a, who rose to sole possession of the lead, is a long hitter ranked 7th in average driving distance this season with 254 yards.

Song said, "The course is long, which seems to have worked to my advantage. I got to use short clubs like pitching wedges and 9-irons frequently for my second shots, making it much easier to control distance and direction."

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