Kim Sei-young Kim plays her shot from the fifth tee during the first round of the FM Championship at TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts on Aug, 27.GETTY/YONHAP
Golfer Kim Sei-young may be on her way towardher 14th career LPGA Tour title after a blistering birdie barrage sent her to the top of the FM Championship leaderboard.
Kim fired a bogey-free 8-under 64 in the opening round of the FM Championship held at TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts, on Thursday. She carded an eagle and six birdies to take the outright lead, one stroke ahead of Japan’s Miyu Yamashita and Denmark’s Emily Kristine Pedersen, who each shot a 7-under 65.
For Kim — a 13-time LPGA Tour winner — the tournament offers a chance to end a roughly 10-month title drought. She has not won since the BMW Ladies Championship in Haenam, South Jeolla, last October.
Yet Kim has remained in strong form with six top-10 finishes this season. She also came off a strong showing at the CPKC Women’s Open in Edmonton, Canada, where she finished third last Sunday.
Starting on the 10th hole, Kim made a steady start. Kim made birdies at the par-4 14th and par-5 18th before catching fire after the turn. She made back-to-back birdies on the par-5 second and par-3 third, then added another pair on the par-4 fifth and sixth.
The highlight came at the par-5 seventh. After her tee shot, Kim attacked from 190 meters (623 feet) out with a hybrid and sent the ball to within three meters of the pin. She then holed her next shot for an eagle that strengthened her grip on the outright lead. Kim finished the opening round with just 24 putts as her putter remained red-hot throughout the day.
A scoresheet of Kim Sei-young's performance at FM ChampionshipSCREEN CAPTURE
“The course was softer than last year, so there were more birdie opportunities,” Kim said. “I wasn’t able to lower my score much early on, but I started to find my rhythm later as the temperature rose. On the seventh, I hit a controlled hybrid shot that landed close to the pin and set up the eagle.”
Korean golfer Lee So-mi sits fourth after a 6-under 66, while 2024 inaugural champion Ryu Hae-ran and Kim Hyo-joo are tied for fifth at 4-under 68, putting three more Koreans within striking distance of the lead.
World No. 1 Nelly Korda of the United States is tied for 39th after an even-par 72, while Ko Jin-young is tied for 108th after a 4-over 76 heading into the second round.
The FM Championship carries a total prize money of $4.4 million.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
