Se-young Kim "Firing 10 Under Par"... "Did You See the Shot Eagle?"

Lotte Cantata Women's Open Day 2: Hanjinseon Leads, Oh Jihyun 2nd, Quick Jump to 3rd Place

[Jeju=Asia Economy Golf Specialist Reporter Kim Hyun-jun] "Shot eagle + 8 birdies."

It was a surge by Kim Se-young (27, Mirae Asset), ranked 6th in the world. On the 5th, at the Lotte Skyhill Golf Club Sky & Ocean Course (par 72, 6,373 yards) in Seogwipo City, Jeju Island, during the second day of the KLPGA Tour Lotte Cantata Women's Open (total prize money 600 million KRW), she shot 10 under par and jumped to 3rd place (12 under par, 132 strokes). Hanjin-sun (23) leads with 14 under par (130 strokes), and Oh Ji-hyun (24, KB Financial Group) is in 2nd place (13 under par, 131 strokes).

Kim Se-young started at the 10th hole (par 4) and immediately made a 'wedge shot eagle' at the 11th hole (par 4). She then made 'stepping stone' birdies at the 12th and 14th holes, and swept two sets of three consecutive birdies from the 18th to the back 2nd hole and again from the final 7th to 9th holes. She commented, "The course was easy, so I attempted aggressive play," adding, "Unlike yesterday, my tee shots were good, and there were many opportunities to attack the green within 100 meters, so I could aim for birdies more aggressively."

Kim Se-young is a 10-time winner on the U.S. LPGA Tour. She moved to the U.S. in 2015 and immediately won 3 times, earning Rookie of the Year. In July 2018, at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, she won with 31 under par 257 strokes, setting the LPGA Tour 72-hole lowest score and most under par records. Last year, she also won the Mediheal Championship in May, the Marathon Classic in July, and the season finale CME Group Tour Championship in November, hitting a '1.5 million dollar (1.8 billion KRW) jackpot.'

This time, she is poised to claim her 6th domestic victory in 6 years since the MBN Women's Open in June 2014. Her caddie, Paul Fusco, arrived in Korea three weeks ago and joined her after completing a '2-week self-quarantine' in accordance with COVID-19 quarantine policies. Kim Se-young expressed her gratitude, saying, "I asked him to come to Korea because I wanted to show the best performance to the fans," and added, "Thanks to Paul, I think I reduced my score by 5 strokes."

Hanjin-sun's performance is formidable. On the first day, she made a hole-in-one at the 8th hole (par 3) and finished 9 under par, and today she made 5 birdies. 'Domestic No. 1' Choi Hye-jin (21, Lotte) and Kim Hyo-joo (25, Lotte) are watching for opportunities from a tie for 4th place. 'E1 Charity Open champion' Lee So-young (23, Lotte) reduced her score by 4 strokes for two consecutive days, tied for 13th place (8 under par, 136 strokes). World No. 1 Ko Jin-young (25) faltered with 1 under par, tied for 55th place (3 under par, 141 strokes).