Kim Seyoung's Bid for 2 Consecutive Wins 'Tied 3rd, 2 Strokes Behind'... Thompson Leads

Season Finale CME Group Tour Championship Day 1: 5 Under Par, Ko Jin-young 4 Under Par Tied 6th, Park In-bee 1 Under Par Tied 24th

Kim Se-young is making an iron shot on the 3rd hole on the first day of the CME Group Tour Championship. Naples (Florida, USA) = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] World No. 2 Kim Se-young (27, Mirae Asset) is on a 'march for a second consecutive victory.'

On the 18th (Korean time), at the Tiburon Golf Club (par 72, 6,556 yards) in Naples, Florida, USA, the first day of the CME Group Tour Championship, the final event of the 2020 LPGA Tour season (total prize money $3 million), Kim shot 5 under par to tie for 3rd place. Lexi Thompson (USA) is leading with 7 under par 65, while Nanna Koerstz Madsen (Denmark) is chasing in 2nd place with 6 under par 66.

Only 72 players, including the top 70 in CME Globe points, participated, and the winner's prize money is a whopping $1.1 million. Kim Se-young collected 6 birdies (1 bogey). She started smoothly with her first birdie on the 2nd hole (par 4) and consecutive birdies on the 5th and 6th holes, then took a brief breather with a bogey on the 9th hole (par 4). In the back nine, she fired up again with a birdie on the 11th hole (par 4) followed by consecutive birdies on the 14th and 15th holes. Her powerful drives averaged 258 yards, and her tee shots had a perfect 100% fairway hit rate.

She is 2 strokes behind the leader, aiming for her first title defense, which would be her third win of the season and 13th career victory. Despite participating in only 9 of the 17 tournaments this year amid the global spread of COVID-19, Kim showed resilience by securing 2 wins, including a major. Leading with five top-10 finishes, she ranks 2nd in prize money ($1,207,438) and Player of the Year points (106). She leads in scoring average (68.677), but the requirement of playing at least 48 rounds remains a variable.

However, if the LPGA Tour creates special provisions considering the COVID-19 situation, she could still receive awards. Thompson dominated the leaderboard with 8 birdies (1 bogey), including three consecutive birdies. Her 'stingy putting' with only 26 putts in the round was the driving force. She has played 11 tournaments this year without a win, with only two top-10 finishes. Madsen boasted flawless play with 6 birdies and no bogeys. She is a third-year player who debuted in 2018.

Karoline Madsen (Germany) and Megan Kang (USA) started tied for 3rd. Korea's 'No. 1' Ko Jin-young (25) started comfortably tied for 6th with 4 under par. Despite making 1 bogey and 1 double bogey, she made 7 birdies. She is only 3 strokes behind the leader and could become the 'money queen' if she wins. Minjee Lee (Australia), Anna Nordqvist (Sweden), Carlota Ciganda (Spain), and Cristie Kerr (USA) also joined the tie for 6th.

Park In-bee (32, KB Financial Group), who leads in both prize money and Player of the Year points, recorded 2 birdies and 1 bogey. She struggled on the greens with 32 putts in the round. She is tied for 24th (1 under par 71) along with two-time winner Danielle Kang (USA) and Yoo So-yeon (30, Mediheal). Lee Mi-rim (30, NH Investment & Securities), Park Hee-young (33, Isu Group), Jeon In-ji (26, KB Financial Group), Yang Hee-young (31, Woori Financial Group), and Shin Ji-eun (28, Hanwha Q CELLS) are tied for 45th (1 over par 73).

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