Kim Minbyeol's 'Rookie Power'... "Saw 6 birdies without a bogey?"

Korean Women's Open 2R Perfect Play Leading the Pack
Rookie Points Leader on a Roll... "Feeling Good"

It is Kim Min-byeol's 'Rookie Power.'

On the 16th, Kim Min-byeol shot a 6-under-par 66 in the second round of the DB Group 37th Korea Women's Open (total prize money 1.2 billion KRW) held at Rainbow Hills Country Club (par 72, 6712 yards) in Eumseong-gun, Chungbuk. Starting from a tie for 27th place, 5 strokes behind, Kim Min-byeol swept up 6 birdies without a single bogey. She quickly jumped into the top ranks and joined the race for the championship.

Kim Minbyeol is carefully reading the line on the green of the 16th hole during the second round of the Korean Women's Open.

Kim Min-byeol is a strong candidate for this year's Rookie of the Year. She made a name for herself by winning more than 20 times as an amateur and topped last year's Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour qualifying tournament. She also passed the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games selection in second place, but due to the one-year postponement caused by COVID-19, she gave up her spot and turned professional. Kim Min-byeol competed in professional tournaments even during her amateur days. In 2019, she was among the leaders on the first day of the KLPGA Tour ADT Caps Championship and won the amateur award at both the Hyosung Championship and the Celltrion Queens Masters.

Kim Min-byeol has an average driving distance of 248.93 yards (14th) and a greens in regulation rate of 74.83% (6th). She has shown consistency by making the cut in 10 out of 11 tournaments this year. She has entered the top 10 three times, including a 3rd place finish at the Mediheal-Korea Daily Championship in April. Currently, she ranks first in rookie points (976 points), 17th in overall points (120 points), and 24th in prize money rankings (14,845,000 KRW). She is expected to engage in a fierce Rookie of the Year competition with rising stars Bang Shin-sil, Hwang Yu-min, and Kim Seo-yoon2 until the end of the season.

Having seized a chance to win a 'national title,' Kim Min-byeol exclaimed, "There were no shot mistakes today. I didn’t use any approach shots and only used the putter." She added, "The pin positions were very difficult, but I think I played well, so I am satisfied." She continued, "I had confidence in my shots. Even in crisis moments, I saved par well and maintained a good flow. There are still two days left. I will focus on putting and play comfortably like today," she vowed.

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