Kim Se-young's Cheers "First Major Victory Achieved"... Park In-bee 2nd Place (Summary)

Third Major KPMG Women's Victory by 5 Shots '740 Million Won Jackpot', Hataoka and Tsimada Tied for 3rd, Park Sung-hyun 17th

Kim Sei-young is smiling brightly while holding the trophy immediately after winning the final day of the KPMG Women's. Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA=Getty Images/Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] 'Number 7' Kim Se-young (27, Mirae Asset) has won her first major title.

On the 12th (Korean time), at the Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA (par 70, 6,577 yards), the final day of the third major of the LPGA Tour, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship (total prize money $4.3 million), Kim surged with a 7-under-par round to secure a commanding 5-stroke victory (14-under-par 266). This marks her 11th career win, her first since the CME Group Tour Championship in November 2019, 11 months ago. The winner's prize money is $645,000 (740 million KRW). This is Korea's fourth win of the year.

Starting the day 2 strokes ahead, Kim displayed flawless play with 7 birdies. After her first birdie on the 3rd hole, she added birdies on the 6th and 9th holes (all par 4 and par 5) to reduce 3 strokes in the front nine. In the back nine, she added two pairs of consecutive birdies on the 13th-14th and 16th-17th holes to fend off challengers. Her powerful drives averaged 278 yards, her iron shots were precise with an 83% greens in regulation rate, and her putting was outstanding with 26 putts for the round.

Kim Se-young debuted on the Korean LPGA (KLPGA) Tour in 2011, winning 5 times before moving to the U.S. stage in 2015. She is nicknamed the 'Queen of Comebacks' and the 'Wizard of Red Pants.' In her first year on the LPGA Tour, she won 3 times and earned Rookie of the Year honors, consistently winning at least one trophy every year. Last year, she notably won the Tour Championship by one stroke, hitting the '1.5 million dollar (1.73 billion KRW) jackpot.'

This year, she started strong with a tie for 7th at the Diamond Resort and 5th at Gainbridge before encountering the variable of COVID-19. Staying in Korea to manage her condition, she returned to the field after 7 months at the Arkansas Championship in August, finishing tied for 5th. In this tournament, she posted under-par rounds for three consecutive days?5-under on day two and 3-under on day three?becoming the 'Major Queen' after just four tournaments since her comeback.

"It was a really tough course," said Kim Se-young. "I tried to maintain focus on every hole," she added, celebrating that her first major win symbolizes overcoming her limits. Golf legend Park In-bee (32, KB Financial Group) performed well with a 5-under-par but settled for 2nd place (9-under-par 271). Nasa Hataoka (Japan) and Carlota Ciganda (Spain) tied for 3rd place (7-under-par 273). 2018 champion Park Sung-hyun (27) finished 17th (2-over-par 282).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.