'Major Kiss' Kim Se-young 'Filled the Missing 2%'

The Third Major KPMG Women's Tournament: '28 Attempts, 29th Time's the Charm', Securing 11th Career Win, Establishing as Korea's Leading Player

Se-young Kim is taking a selfie with the trophy right after winning the final day of the KPMG Women's. Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] "I filled the missing 2%."

This is about 'Major Queen' Kim Se-young (27, Mirae Asset). On the 12th (Korean time), at the Aronimink Golf Club (par 70, 6,577 yards) in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA, she achieved a commanding 5-stroke victory (14-under 266) at the third major of the LPGA Tour, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship (total prize money $4.3 million), earning her 11th career win. Notably, this thrilling first major victory came on her 29th attempt, making it especially meaningful.

Kim Se-young followed an elite path. She was introduced to golf when she accompanied her father, Kim Jung-il (58), to the driving range during elementary school, and she made a name for herself by becoming the youngest winner at the 2006 Korea Women's Amateur Championship in her second year of middle school. Influenced by her father, who ran a Taekwondo academy, she developed her basic physical strength from a young age. She is a 'Taekwondo girl' who trained her body through Taekwondo. She holds a 3rd Dan black belt and was active as a player during elementary school.

She was selected for the national golf team in 2007 and 2009 and won both individual and team gold medals at the National Sports Festival. Although her height is 163 cm and not particularly tall, she hits long drives. She ranks 12th in average driving distance on the LPGA Tour at 266.95 yards. She joined the KLPGA Tour in 2011 and claimed her first victory at the 2013 Lotte Mart Women's Open. All five of her career wins were come-from-behind victories, earning her the nickname 'Queen of Comebacks.' She is also called the 'Wizard of the Red Pants' for wearing red pants on the final day.

In 2014, she earned her LPGA Tour card through Q-School and debuted on the LPGA Tour the following year. In her rookie year, she won three tournaments, including two wins within her first two events, quickly joining the ranks of the 'Champions.' She won twice in 2016, once in 2017 and 2018, and three times last year, marking six consecutive years with victories. In July 2018, she won the Marathon Classic with a 31-under 257, setting LPGA Tour records for the lowest 72-hole score and the most under par.

Until last year, she collected the fourth most wins among Korean players, following Park Se-ri (25 wins), Park In-bi (20 wins), and Shin Ji-ae (11 wins), but the label 'major-less' was a regret. She failed to clear the final hurdle several times. She finished second twice, including at the 2015 KPMG Women's PGA and the 2018 Evian Championship, and has eight top-10 finishes. Majors had been a 'sore spot' for her, but after knocking on the door 29 times, she finally opened it.

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