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*It has been translated using AI
Golf fans are paying keen attention to the breathtaking title war between “No. 1” Seo Kyo-rim and “Monster Rookie” Kim Min-sol, who are fighting the “Native Golf Queen” on the KLPGA Tour this season. Kim Min-sol, who was the first to win three games this season and led in the prize money, grand prize point, and average pars, won consecutive wins in the second half of the year, giving up the top spot in all title categories to Seo Kyo-rim, who achieved four wins first. Then he took the opportunity to recapture it again.
The stage will be the KLPGA Tour OK Savings Bank’s opening at Adonis Country Club (par 72) in Pocheon, Gyeonggi-do from the 4th to the 6th. The total prize money of 1 billion won and 180 million won as the winning prize money are at stake.
Kim Min-sol will take a rest due to injuries in the previous KG Ladies and Seo Kyo-rim will take a rest in this competition. It is the best opportunity for Kim Min-sol to regain the No. 1 position that he lost.
◆ “No. 1” changes with each competition
Thanks to the fierce competition for the championship from the beginning of the season, Seo Kyo-rim and Kim Min-sol are playing a “close match.” Kim Min-sol was in a position to be chased just a month ago. However, he quickly fell to the second place and now he is a follower.
First of all, as of September 3, No. 1 Seo Kyo-rim recorded 1,321.76 million won, and No. 2 Kim Min-sol recorded 1,286,629,428 won. The difference between the two is 35.13 million won, 65.72 million won. Since Seo Kyo-rim will not appear in this competition, if Kim Min-sol finishes within 5th place (40 million won) alone or joint 5th place (37.5 million won) with less than 2 players, Kim Min-sol’s name will be engraved again in the top spot of the prize money.
The odds are high. Kim Min-sol, who recently finished second in the Medi Hill Hankook Ilbo Championship and KLPGA Championship in a row, is good at winning three times, ranking second three times, and ranking third once this season. He is not in a bad condition because he took a rest last week to boost his physical strength and treat his injuries.
The grand prize point is the biggest honor for professional golfers. In this category, Seo Kyo-rim ranks first with 519 points and Kim Min-sol ranks second with 403 points. The difference is 116 points. Kim Min-sol’s absence last week widened the gap between the two. This time, it is Kim Min-sol’s turn to narrow the gap. The winner of this competition can receive 70 points.
The average stroke category, which determines the “most consistent player,” is also close. With Seo Kyo-rim ranking first with an average of 70.1992, Kim Min-sol is chasing with 70.3793.
Of course, Kim Min-sol is truly a solo player in the rookie award point category. Kim Min-sol, who scored 1921 points, is far ahead of runner-up Yang Hyo-jin (1,093 points).
The rivalry game between Kim Min-sol and Seo Kyo-rim is also attracting attention for its extreme style. Kim Min-sol’s strength is his long shot and aggressive play that exceeds 250m from his tall height of 178cm. Kim Min-sol, who is ranked second in the average driving shot distance (259.0476 yards) category, is also seventh (76.24%) in the green accuracy rate after second in the “driving index” combined with distance and accuracy. Thanks to this, he is recording double-digit eagles (10) in one season for the first time in the KLPGA tour and ranking first in birdies (3.82) on average this season.
Seo Kyo-rim plays “evolutionary Orthodox golf.” In general, sophisticated golfers in the KLPGA Tour were not long hitters. But Seo Kyo-rim is different. It is sophisticated and destructive enough to rank in the top 10 this season, including four wins, one in second place and two in third place. First of all, he’s a long hitter. Seo Kyo-rim’s average driving distance is 253.1176 yards, ranking fourth. In addition, the green hit rate ranked 15th (74.10 percent) after 58th (65.34%) in fairway seating rate. He has appeared in 20 competitions and ranked in the top 10 for 10 times, ranking first in this category. The number of eagles is five for Kim Min-sol, but he is third in this category. He also ranked third with an average of 3.78 birdies, and second in both the par-three-hole average birdie and par-four-hole average birdie categories.
◆ Gathering overseas…the flame of the championship race
Winning this tournament is not easy. This is because a total of overseas players have been gathered. Kim Min-sol said, “As the competition continued, I was in a state of a lot of fatigue, but I rested well for a week and recovered and maintained my body well. I’m in a good condition now. The goal is to create a good flow by focusing on my play every moment rather than the result,” he said.
Defending champion Bang Shin-sil has been gradually raising his shot since last week. Bang Shin-sil emphasized, “I’m in good condition, so I’ll focus on my play to achieve my goal of winning two games of the season.”
Lee Dong-eun and Kim A-rim, who play in the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour, will also participate. Lee Dong-eun shot a 9-under 63 in the second round of the 2025 tournament, and Kim A-rim is the 2018 winner of the tournament.
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