Kim Sei-young shots 84-meter eagle at Lotte Cantata Ladies Tour

Golfer Choi Hye-jin’s tee shot landed 1.3 meters away from the cup on the par-3 eighth hole, missing a hole-on-one by less than 30 centimeters. After watching the incredible shot, Kim Sei-young hit her tee shot, landing it only 2.4 meters away from the cup. The two golfers’ fierce battle continued on the green and both of them were undaunted. Another competitor Bae Sun-woo achieved a par with two putts at an uneasy situation when her ball was 10.3 meters away from the cup.

Star players in women’s professional golf tours in Korea, the U.S., and Japan. including world No. 6 Kim Sei-young with 10 LPGA wins, KLPGA star Choi Hye-jin, and Bae Sun-woo with two JLPGA wins last year, competed against one another in the second round of the Lotte Cantata Ladies Open in Jeju on Friday. Despite the bad weather, which suspended the event for one hour and 20 minutes due to heavy fog, three players continued their quest to win the event with no bogeys.

With LPGA events postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kim Sei-young shot 10-under 62 on Friday to tie the course record in her second domestic competition this season. She ranked second with 12-under 132. Starting off on the 10th hole, Kim shot an 84-meter eagle on the 11th hole and added eight birdies. “I’m getting back into form after competitions,” Kim said. “I felt good playing the tournament here since this is the course where I had my first KLPGA tour win.”

Kim’s caddie Paul Fusco, who has been partnering with Kim for six years, joined her at the competition after finishing his self-quarantine in Korea. This is helping Kim mentally too. “I told Paul, ‘Korean players are so good’ and he encouraged me not to put myself down,” said Kim.


Yun-Cheol Jeong trigger@donga.com