KOR
▲ Seo Kyo-rim (left) and Kim Min-sol
Seo Kyo-rim and Kim Min-sol, two 18-year-old fierce rival players born in 2006 locked in an intense battle for multiple wins on the Korea Women's Professional Golf (KLPGA) Tour this season, continued their fierce race for the lead in the second round of the BC Card·Hankyung 48th KLPGA Championship, the season's second major tournament.
Seo shot 5-under-par 67 with six birdies and one bogey in the second round held at the Garden and Palace courses of Pocheon Hills Country Club in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province.
With a mid-term total of 7-under-par 137, Seo jumped from a tie for 11th place in the first round to a shared lead with Song Eun-a.
Kim also carded 2-under-par 70 with two birdies on this day, finishing with a mid-term total of 6-under-par 138, placing her alone in third place, just one stroke behind the co-leaders.
Seo grabbed birdies on the 1st hole (par 5) and 6th hole (par 3), and secured her third birdie on the 10th hole (par 5), the first hole of the back nine, to rise into the leading group.
Although she incurred a penalty stroke and a bogey on the 12th hole (par 4) after her tee shot went into the water, she bounced back by succeeding on a 7.8-meter birdie putt on the 14th hole (par 3).
Seo's concentration shone near the end of the round.
She sank a 6.2-meter birdie putt on the 17th hole (par 4) and added another birdie on the final 18th hole (par 5) to wrap up her second round.
After the round, Seo shared her thoughts, saying, "My putting went well, which allowed me to grab many birdies. In the remaining rounds, I will aggressively target birdies on the par-5 holes where it is easier to create opportunities."
Kim recorded pars on all of her first nine holes before picking up birdies on the 10th and 17th holes of the back nine to continue her battle for the lead.
Reflecting on her performance, she said, "My shot feeling was shakier than yesterday, but I managed to save well with my short game during crisis situations." She added, "It will be hard for my shot feeling to improve drastically overnight, but I will calmly analyze and refine it."
Regarding her competitive dynamic with Seo, she answered, "I cannot say I don't pay attention to it. However, I think it is a good relationship where we exchange positive energy and synergy."
Seo and Kim are engaged in a fierce competition this season.
Kim first claimed her maiden victory at the iM Financial Open 2026 last April.
Subsequently, in four tournaments held last June, Seo and Kim alternated victories in the order of Seo-Kim-Seo-Kim, displaying a rare competitive pattern in recent years.
And with Seo winning the Mediheal·Hankook Ilbo Championship that concluded on the 16th, both players now share three wins apiece, becoming co-leaders in the multi-win category.
In the prize money rankings, Kim stands at first place, while Seo is in second.
In the grand-point standings, Seo ranks first, and Kim is second.
The rivalry between the two players is a major viewing point of this season's KLPGA Tour.
Golf fans have combined the names of the two players to call their competition the "Sollim Showdown" or "Imsol Showdown".
Moon Jung-min, who was tied for 30th on the first day, shaved off five strokes on this day to tie for fourth place at 5-under-par 139 alongside Lee Seung-yeon and Han Jin-sun.
Yoo Hyun-jo and Ko Ji-woo, who have each won once this season, shaved off three strokes each on this day to tie for seventh place at 4-under-par 140 along with An Ji-hyun.
(Photo courtesy of KLPGA Tour, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
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