Kim Se-young leads FM Championship with 8-under 64 on opening day

Kim Se-young fired an 8-under-par 64 on the opening day of the LPGA Tour's FM Championship to take a one-stroke lead.

Playing Friday at TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts (par 72, 6,533 yards), Kim posted a bogey-free round featuring one eagle and six birdies to finish one shot ahead of joint runners-up Yamashita Miyu of Japan and Emily Kristine Pedersen of Denmark, who both carded 7-under 65.

Kim started on the 10th hole and managed only two birdies on her first nine, but caught fire on the back nine with an eagle and four birdies for a six-shot swing. Rain before the tournament had softened the greens, allowing her to attack pins aggressively. She capped the run by sinking a 4.5-meter eagle putt on the par-5 seventh hole.

"Everything was really good today, but my putting was especially outstanding," Kim said in a post-round interview. "I had been struggling with my putting in the last few tournaments, but today I made a lot of putts. I felt so confident on the greens."

She added that she had put in extensive work with her putting coach and made small adjustments to her routine to stay more focused and relaxed. "Those changes really clicked today," she said. "They helped me commit to my putting lines with a lot more confidence." Kim needed only 24 putts for the round.

Yamashita, who won the CPKC Women's Open last week, carded 10 birdies but also a bogey and a double bogey to share second place and set herself up for back-to-back victories.

Lee So-mi sat alone in fourth at 6-under 66, with seven birdies against one bogey. Ryu Hae-ran and Kim Hyo-joo were tied for fifth at 4-under 68. Ryu, the inaugural 2024 champion, had collected five birdies through the 17th hole before dropping a shot on the 18th.

Choi Un-jeong, Kim A-rim and Lim Jin-hee were tied for 15th at 2-under 70. World No. 1 Nelly Korda of the United States carded even-par 72 to share 39th place with Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand and others.

Yun I-na, making her comeback at this tournament, shot 2-over 74 to tie for 77th alongside Hwang Yu-min. She made four bogeys on the front nine but recovered with two birdies on the back.