Haenam: After grabbing the opening-round lead at the LPGA tournament being held near her hometown Thursday, South Korean veteran Kim Sei-young said she fed off the energy provided by her family members in attendance. Kim put up a bogey-free round of 10-under 62 to take the sole possession of the lead at the BMW Ladies Championship at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam, South Jeolla Province.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Haenam is only about a 30-minute drive from Kim's hometown of Yeongam, where her parents are also from and where many members of her extended family still reside. Kim said she was fired up from the first hole with her family members out on the course rooting for her. "It's not often you get to have this kind of support for all 18 holes. I think I received such great energy from them," Kim said afterward. "I was really excited from the first hole, and I felt even better after making birdie on that hole."

After that opening birdie, Kim went on an eagle-birdie-birdie-birdie stretch, starting on the sixth hole. Kim said draining a long eagle putt on the par-5 sixth was "a huge turning point" of her round.

Kim, 32, is seeking her first LPGA win since November 2020. "I would really love to win. It's been a while since my last victory. I felt like I came close last year but I didn't get it done," said Kim, who has had seven top-10 finishes so far this year. "I have so many family members and fans cheering for me here, and it would mean so much to win in front of them."

Kim sits one stroke ahead of another South Korean player, Kim Hyo-joo, who holed out from about 131 yards out for an eagle on the par-4 seventh as part of her bogey-free 63. "I was shocked that I made that eagle. I couldn't believe it myself," Kim Hyo-joo said. "I made some mistakes on the back nine but save pars each time. I am really satisfied with the way I played."

The two unrelated Kims will play in the same group, alongside Lindy Duncan of the United States, in the second round. Hyo-joo said she enjoys playing with Sei-young even though they have opposite personalities on the course. "I tend to be more laid-back, and she is always locked in on every shot. So she runs away from me sometimes," Hyo-joo said with a laugh. "But we've often played well when we played in the same group. I think we will have another good round tomorrow."

Kim Hyo-joo, who earned her seventh career LPGA title in March this year, said she would love to add to that total soon, especially after finishing in second place at her previous tournament in Hawaii last weekend. "I really want to win at least another tournament before the end of this year," she said. "But I only think about those things before teeing off. Once I am playing, my focus is on each and every shot."