Se-young Kim, 2nd Place 2 Strokes Behind "GO for 2 Consecutive Wins"... Maguire Leads

Pelican Women's Championship Day 1: Korda and Thompson Tied 3rd, Lydia Ko Tied 14th, Ko Jin-young Tied 23rd

Kim Sei-young is making an iron shot on the 17th hole on the first day of the Pelican Women's Championship. Bel Air, USA - Photo by Getty Images/Multivitz

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] Defending champion Kim Se-young (28, Mediheal) is on a winning streak.

On the 12th (Korean time), at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, USA (par 70, 6,268 yards), the first day of the LPGA Tour Pelican Women's Championship (total prize money $1.75 million), she shot 6 under par to position herself in second place. Leona Maguire (Ireland) took the top spot on the leaderboard with 8 under par 62, while world No. 1 Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson (both USA), among a total of seven players, are tied for third place (5 under par 65) in pursuit.

Kim Se-young showcased flawless play with no bogeys, recording one eagle and four birdies. Her strong start with three consecutive birdies from holes 1 to 3 stood out, followed by a birdie on the 7th hole and an eagle on the 14th hole (both par 5s), creating great momentum. She relied on powerful drives averaging 283 yards and ‘stingy putting’ with only 26 putts. She is two strokes behind the leader and has a chance to win for the first time in a year since securing her 12th career victory at this tournament last November.

Maguire impressed by collecting eight birdies. She is a rookie who debuted on the LPGA Tour last year and has yet to win. Her best personal results are runner-up finishes at the Lotte Championship in April and the Meijer Classic in June. Korda also laid the foundation to defend her No. 1 status by making six birdies (one bogey). Hataoka Nasa (Japan), Danielle Kang, Jennifer Kupcho, and Christina Kim (all USA) are also in the group tied for third place.

Lydia Ko (New Zealand), Brooke Henderson (Canada), and Jessica Korda (USA) started solidly, tied for 14th place (3 under par 67). South Korea’s No. 2 Ko Jin-young (26) recorded four birdies and two bogeys, tying for 23rd place (2 under par 68) along with Lee Jeong-eun6 (25, Daebang Construction) and Kim Ah-rim (26, SBI Savings Bank). Im Hyang (28, Volvik) is tied for 38th place (1 under par 69), and Ji Eun-hee (35, Hanwha Q Cells) is tied for 65th place (1 over par 71).

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