Seo Kyo-rim fires final-round 64 to claim season's third win, ties Kim Min-sol atop multiple-victory standings

Seo Kyo-rim claimed a come-from-behind victory at the KLPGA Tour Mediheal·Korea Ilbo Championship, which carried a purse of 1.2 billion won ($848,000), to reach three wins on the season.

Playing the final round Sunday at Mongvert Country Club's Myeongseongsan Course (par 72, 6,713 yards) in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, Seo carded nine birdies against one bogey for an 8-under-par 64, finishing at 18-under 270 and edging runner-up Kim Min-sol by two strokes.

The victory was Seo's third of the year, following wins at the Inca Financial The Heaven Masters and the Celltrion Queens Masters in June, and drew her level with Kim in the multiple-victory standings. Seo also moved to the top of the Player of the Year points race, overtaking Kim with 390 points to Kim's 353.

Entering the final round three strokes behind co-leaders Kim and Choi Ye-rim, Seo made an immediate charge, collecting four birdies on the front nine. She birdied holes 3 and 4 in succession, then added a birdie from 40 centimeters on the par-5 6th and another from 2.6 meters on the par-3 8th.

On the back nine, a birdie at the 10th was offset by a bogey at the 12th, but Seo birdied three consecutive holes — 13, 14 and 15 — to set up the winning move.

A 1.3-meter birdie putt at the par-5 14th drew her level with the leaders, and she took sole possession of the lead with a 2.2-meter birdie at the par-3 15th. She missed a 2.7-meter birdie attempt at the par-3 17th, to the disappointment of the gallery, but sealed the title by draining a 5.3-meter birdie putt at the par-4 18th.

Kim Min-sol, who had been leading, was forced to settle for the runner-up spot after her tee shot at the par-5 14th drifted right into an out-of-bounds zone, resulting in a double bogey.

Kim had looked comfortable at the top of the leaderboard, picking up four birdies through the 11th hole, but dropped three shots over the par-5 12th and 14th — holes that favor long hitters — with a bogey and a double bogey. She birdied 15 and 16 in succession in a bid to close the gap, but could not catch the surging Seo.

Choi Ye-rim, who has finished runner-up nine times since turning professional in 2017 without a single win, managed only a 2-under round Sunday to finish at 15-under 273, sharing third place with Lee Ji-hyeon 3.

Choi had kept pace with Kim at the top of the leaderboard through the front nine, carding three birdies without a bogey, but her challenge faded on the back nine, where she made just one bogey and no birdies.