Arim Kim, Tied for 2nd... Challenging Korea's 2nd Victory

Hana Women’s Scottish Open 1R 4 Under Par
Minji Lee Leads, Olympic Gold Medalist Lydia Ko 5th
Se-young Kim 10th, Jin-young Ko and Hye-jin Choi Tied 22nd

Kim Arim contributed to the two wins by Korean players.

Kim Arim

On the 15th (local time), at the LPGA Tour ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open (total prize money $2 million) held at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire, Scotland (par 72, 6,584 yards), Kim shot a 4-under-par 68 in the first round, placing her in a tie for 2nd. Australian-Korean Lee Minji leads with a 5-under-par 67. Due to bad weather followed by sunset, 39 players were unable to complete their rounds.

Kim Arim recorded six birdies and two bogeys. In the first seven holes, she made one birdie and two bogeys, losing one stroke. After joining the under-par group with 'stepping stone birdies' on holes 8 and 10, she added consecutive birdies on holes 13 and 14, and finished strong with a birdie on the final 18th hole (par 5), entering the race for the championship. She is one stroke behind the leader, aiming for her second career win since the 2020 major US Women's Open. "It was a tough day. Golf is infinitely easy when it’s easy, and unbelievably difficult when it’s hard. I focused solely on my own game," she said.

Since winning the US Women's Open, Kim Arim's best results have been tied for 3rd at the 2021 BMW Championship and last year's Amundi Evian Championship. This year, she briefly shone with a tie for 9th at the major Chevron Championship, but her 74th place in scoring average and 47th in the money rankings reflect a lack of standout performances.

Lee Minji, who has accumulated 10 LPGA Tour wins, displayed perfect play with five birdies and no bogeys. Although she has not won this year, she has entered the top 10 twice. She expressed confidence, saying, "I played smart golf. Even when I made mistakes, I sent the ball to places where I could recover and managed crises well. I like the links course where creative play is necessary."

Lydia Ko (New Zealand), who entered the Hall of Fame as the youngest gold medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics, started comfortably tied for 5th (3-under-par 69). Korea’s Kim Seyoung is tied for 10th (2-under-par 70). Ko Jin-young, Choi Hyejin, and Lee Somi are tied for 22nd (1-under-par 71), eyeing a move up the leaderboard. Kim Hyoju, who was runner-up at this tournament last year, is tied for 48th (1-over-par 73).