Seo Kyo-rim fires two eagles, shares lead with Kim Min-byeol at KLPGA event

Seo Kyo-rim opened the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour's Inca Financial The Heaven Masters in a share of the lead Friday.

Playing the West-South course at The Heaven Country Club in Daebudo, Ansan, Gyeonggi Province (par 72, 6,726 yards), Seo carded a 7-under-par 65 to tie Kim Min-byeol atop the leaderboard after the first round. Kim was the KLPGA Tour's Rookie of the Year in 2023; Seo claimed the same honor in 2025.

Seo claimed her first career victory at the Celltrion Queens Masters on June 7 and has now positioned herself for a second win of the season just two weeks later. Playing in the afternoon wave, she posted two eagles, four birdies and one bogey for a seven-stroke improvement. Seo holed out for a shot eagle on the par-4 13th, then reached the green in two on the par-5 18th before draining a 2.8-meter eagle putt.

"Having two eagles in a single day made it feel like the best day I've had," Seo said after her round. "The eagle on 13 really lifted my momentum. I started the first day in a share of the lead, and I want to stay in contention over the next two rounds and hold the top spot on the leaderboard on the final day as well."

Kim, who played in the morning wave, put together a flawless bogey-free round with seven birdies. Starting on the 10th hole, she picked up two strokes in her first nine before shifting into a higher gear on the back nine. She birdied the 1st and 2nd holes consecutively, then reeled off three straight birdies on holes 7 through 9. On the par-4 9th, her second shot flew over the green and settled in the rough, but she chipped in from 7.6 meters for birdie.

The round puts Kim in contention for her second career title, following her first victory at the Dongbu-Korea Real Estate Investment & Trust Championship last October. "I felt like I played satisfying golf for the first time in a while, so I finished the first round in a good mood," Kim said. "Even when things weren't perfect, I just cleared my mind and stayed calm the way I had prepared, and I think that opened up a good path for me. I'll approach the remaining rounds with the same mindset of letting go."

Choi Ye-rim sits alone in third place, one stroke back, after posting a 6-under-par 66 with seven birdies and one bogey. Jang Eun-su is tied for fourth at 5-under-par 67 alongside Bang Sin-sil and Seong Yu-jin, among others.

Ahn Song-i, who became the first player in KLPGA Tour history to make 400 career starts, finished at 2-under-par 70 and is tied for 35th alongside Lee Ye-won, Lee Ga-young and Lee Yul-lin, among others.

Kim Min-sol, who won the Mercedes-Benz Korea Women's Open last week, carded a 1-under-par 71 with five birdies and four bogeys to sit tied for 47th.