Se-young Kim, 4 Under "Victory GO"... Shuweiling Leads at 5 Under Par

Pure Silk Championship Day 1: Jeon Ji-won Tied for 2nd, Jutanugarn, Henderson, and Korda Sisters Tied for 24th, Park Sung-hyun Tied for 59th

Se-young Kim started fresh on the first day of the Pure Silk Championship, reducing 4 strokes and standing in a tie for 2nd place, just 1 stroke behind the leader.

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] ‘Number 3’ Kim Se-young (28, Mediheal) is on a winning streak.

On the 21st (Korean time), at the Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA (par 71, 6,445 yards), the first day of the LPGA Tour Pure Silk Championship (total prize money $1.3 million) saw her shoot 4 under par, placing her in a tie for 2nd place. Rookie Jeon Ji-won (24, KB Financial Group), Kelly Tan (Malaysia), Luna Sobr?n Galmes (Spain), and Liu Ruixin (China) joined this group. Shih Wei-ling (Taiwan) is leading with 5 under par 66.

Kim Se-young made five birdies (one bogey). Starting at the 10th hole (par 4), she made her first birdie at the 15th hole (par 5), and after a bogey at the 17th hole (par 3), she demonstrated her ability to rally with three consecutive birdies at the 18th, 1st, and 2nd holes. She added another birdie at the 6th hole (par 4), securing her spot for the next round. Her powerful drives averaged 277 yards, which stood out. Her accurate shots were also impressive, with a fairway hit rate of 79% and a green in regulation rate of 89%.

However, her 31 putts during the round were somewhat disappointing. She is just one stroke behind the leader, aiming for her 13th career win six months after winning the Pelican Women’s Championship last November. Kim Se-young debuted on the LPGA Tour in 2015 and has accumulated 12 wins in total. She won Rookie of the Year, became the first ‘Major Queen’ of her career at last year’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and was named Player of the Year. She continues to perform well this year, which is also the year of the Tokyo Olympics.

Before this tournament, she had entered the top 3 twice in six events and ranked 12th in prize money. After finishing the LA Open on the 25th of last month, she skipped two tournaments in the Asian region and returned after a month. If her green play improves, she is in a good position to contend for the win. Kim Se-young said, “My body was stiff due to the cold weather in the early part of the round,” and added, “Except for the putting mistake on the 17th hole, I am satisfied with my solid play. I think I just need to adapt to the faster greens.”

Jeon Ji-won laid the foundation for her first main event qualification. She had missed the cut in the previous four tournaments. Champions from 2016 and 2018, Ariya Jutanugarn (Thailand), Brooke Henderson (Canada), Jessica Korda, and Nelly Korda (both USA) are chasing in a tie for 24th place (1 under par 70). South Korea’s Park Sung-hyun (28) is tied for 59th place (1 over par 72), Kim A-rim (26, SBI Savings Bank) is tied for 117th place (5 over par 76), and Jeon In-ji (27, KB Financial Group) is tied for 123rd place (6 over par 77), showing disappointing results.

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