How great was the pressure of chasing a first career victory? Seo Kyo-rim, last year's Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour Rookie of the Year, suffered a nosebleed after claiming her maiden victory at the Celltrion Queens Masters (total prize money of 1.5 billion won).
Seo shot a 4-under-par 68 with five birdies and one bogey in the final third round held Saturday at Seongmunan Country Club (par 72) in Wonju, Gangwon Province. With a final total of 15-under-par 201, Seo edged out runner-up Kim Min-sun (14-under-par) by one stroke to lift the trophy. The winner's prize was 270 million won.
Seo, who debuted on the KLPGA stage last year, earned the honor of Rookie of the Year but was left wanting for a trophy. Runner-up finishes at the K-Food Nolboo & Hwami Masters in October and the S-Oil Championship in November were her best results last season.
This season, Seo signaled that her first victory was not far off, finishing second at The Siena Open in April and third at the E1 Charity Open in May. In this tournament, she carved up the course with more refined shots. In particular, she put on a perfect display in the second round, sweeping up eight birdies.
Starting the day as co-leader, Seo got off to a pleasant start with consecutive birdies at the first and second holes (both par 4). She trimmed a stroke each at the seventh (par 4) and ninth holes (par 5) to pull four strokes ahead of her pursuers and take the sole lead.
At the 12th hole (par 3), Seo dropped her tee shot into the water and then sent her third shot 7.5 meters from the hole, facing the risk of losing two strokes, but limited the damage to a bogey. In the meantime, Kim Min-sun and Park Hye-jun picked up birdies, narrowing the gap to two strokes. Park, who was playing ahead, added a birdie at the 17th hole (par 3) to apply pressure within one stroke, but Seo pulled back to a two-stroke lead by sinking a 6-meter birdie putt at the 16th hole (par 5).
But one final hurdle remained. At the 18th hole (par 5), Seo sent her second shot into the rough and failed to put her third shot on the green, facing a crisis. With Kim Min-sun of the same group placing her third shot close to the hole and looking set for a birdie, a bogey by Seo could have sent the contest into a playoff. But Seo placed her fourth shot 1.5 meters from the hole, sank the par putt, and rejoiced by embracing her caddie.
Perhaps it was the release of tension. Seo, who was on the green, suddenly suffered a nosebleed, briefly causing some commotion at the scene.
"I had only several runner-up finishes until now, so I wanted to win so badly. Maybe that's why I was so nervous during the final putt," Seo said. "I think I was able to win today because I've grown tougher over this time."
Kim Min-sun took second at 14 under, and Park Hye-jun finished third at 13 under. Kim Su-ji placed fourth at 12 under, while Ko Ji-woo and Kim Na-hyun tied for fifth at 11 under.
