Seo Gyo-rim and Kim Min-sol, same-age rivals born in 2006, who are competing fiercely for the most wins on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf (KLPGA) tour this season, continued their fierce battle for first place in the third round of the BC Card/Hankyung 48th KLPGA Championship (total prize money of 1.5 billion won), the second major tournament of the season.
In the third round of the tournament held at the Pocheon Hills Country Club Garden/Palace Course (par 72) in Pocheon, Gyeonggi-do on the 22nd, Seo Kyo-rim hit 3 under par 69 with only 3 birdies and no bogeys in inclement weather.
Seo Gyo-rim, who recorded an intermediate total of 10 under par 206 strokes, beat second place Kim Min-sol by three strokes.
The two players will face off head-to-head without compromise for the major championship trophy and the title of first four wins of the season in the final round of the tournament held at the same venue on the 23rd.
Seo Kyo-rim and Kim Min-sol are tied for the lead in most wins with three wins each this season.
Coincidentally, in the four competitions held in June, the championships were shared in the order of Seo Gyo-rim, Kim Min-sol, Seo Gyo-rim, and Kim Min-sol, making the rivalry clear.
Fans call the rivalry 'Solim Daejeon' or 'Imsol Daejeon' after the two players.
The winner of this tournament will receive his first four wins of the season and will be one step ahead in the race for the most wins.
The third round was held in inclement weather, with the match being suspended from 1:07 PM to 3:35 PM due to rain and lightning forecast.
Most players struggled due to the slippery course environment, but Seo Gyo-rim played without wavering.
He caught his first birdie in the 3rd hole (par 5) by hitting his third shot 2.2m to the side of the hole, and in the 5th hole (par 4), he hit his second shot 2.4m to the side and made a birdie putt.
Afterwards, he calmly continued the round by saving par for 9 consecutive holes.
He caught his third birdie at the 15th hole (par 4).
After hitting the second shot 2.5m next to the hole, I did not miss the opportunity for birdie.
After finishing the round, Seo Kyo-rim said, "I had a good flow in the first half, but it's a little disappointing that the game was stopped due to lightning," and "I didn't get the shots I wanted in the second half, so I think I should rest well today and prepare well for the final round."
He added, "I'm glad I played the game without making any major mistakes," and added, "When I needed to save the number of strokes, I blocked it with a par and made a bogey-free play. I think trusting my shot and swinging led to better results than last year."
When Seo Gyo-rim was told that she would have to compete in the same group as Kim Min-sol for the 1st to 3rd rounds and then the 4th round, she said, "This is my first time playing in the same group for 4 days," and pledged, "I will not miss the opportunity to win if I get a chance to win without wavering until the end."
Kim Min-sol's ranking plummeted after making a double bogey in the 3rd hole (par 5) when her third shot fell into the rough.
However, Kim Min-sol was no more shaken.
He calmly kept his score by making consecutive birdies in the 7th hole (par 4) and 8th hole (par 4), and in the 17th hole (par 4), he hit his second shot 2.5m from the side of the hole and caught a birdie.
He said, “The play has been frustrating all week,” and he reflected, “It was a disappointing day because the shots were not as good as I expected.”
Kim Min-sol said, “Maybe because of my recent condition, there has been a change in the quality of the pitch,” and added, “Originally, I tended to aim for the right side of the pin, but today I aimed while facing the pin.”
Regarding the flow of the game that day, he answered, "After the 3rd hole, I let go of my desire to score and made playing to preserve the number of strokes without making additional bogeys my top priority."
He continued, “The game was not going well, so the round was stopped, so I took a break and was able to start again with a lighter mind.”
Regarding playing with rival Seo Kyo-rim, he honestly said, "I was nervous," and expressed his determination, "But this week, my shot feeling was so shaky that I'm focusing more on fighting with myself rather than competing with (Seo) Gyo-rim. I remember turning the tide and winning the last three holes in this tournament last year, so I'll do my best until the end."
Kim Min-ju, who has not yet won this season, shot 4-under-par 68 on this day, and Go Ji-woo shot 2-under-par 70, recording a total of 6-under-par 210 for three rounds, and tied for third place.
Park Bo-gyeom, Park Hye-jun, and Jeong So-i tied for 5th place with 5 under par and 211 strokes.
