'Rookie of the Year Without a Win' Seo Kyeryung Becomes Korea's Top Player...What Has Changed?

Four Victories in Second Year, Leader in Prize Money, Player of the Year Points, and Scoring Average
Outstanding Putting Average: 29.29 Putts Per Round Is the Key to Her Success
Presence of Rival Kim Min-sol and Strong Support from Samchully Group

It is Seo Kyeryung's world now. Last year, Seo earned Rookie of the Year honors without a single victory, but this year she has firmly established herself as the top player in Korea. In just one year, she has transformed into a completely different athlete, now dominating the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) tour.

In only her second year on the KLPGA Tour, she has already won four titles this season, including a major championship. Seo currently ranks first in multiple categories: most wins, total prize money (1,286,766,000 won), player of the year points (490 points), scoring average (70.2779 strokes), and top-10 finish percentage (47.3684%).

Kyunglim Seo, in her second year as a professional, has risen to become the strongest player on the KLPGA Tour this year. Photo by KLPGA

Seo Kyeryung has become a player who is difficult for others to approach. What is her secret? There are no significant changes in her driver or iron statistics. Over the past two years, her numbers have remained similar: her average driving distance is 253.2259 yards this year (4th), compared to 252.2570 yards last year (8th). Her fairway hit rate is 65.1765% this year (58th), up from 65.6923% last year (88th), while her greens in regulation is 73.6794% this year (16th), versus 76.9039% a year ago (7th).

Most notably, her putting has improved. Last year, her average putts per round were 30.9551, which ranked her 107th. This year, she has reduced that to 29.2951, putting her in second place in this category.

Her clutch putting was also on display at the second major of the year, the 48th BC Card·Hankyung KLPGA Championship (total prize money 1.5 billion won), which concluded on August 23 at Pocheon Hills Country Club (par 72) in Gyeonggi Province.

Seo briefly wavered as super rookie Kim Min-sol mounted a final-day charge. During a tightly contested match, she demonstrated her determination by making birdies on holes 16 through 18. On the 18th hole (par 5), she nearly holed a 6-meter eagle putt, pushing the contest to a playoff, where she sealed her victory by sticking her third shot close to the hole in the first extra hole.

Seo dedicates herself to putting training and is known as a practice enthusiast. No matter how tired she is, she spends more than ten minutes on putting every night. She said, "Since I started playing golf, I have never skipped my nightly putting practice. I always practice my putting before going to bed."

A strong rival has been a major factor in developing Seo's strength. Fellow 2006-born player Kim Min-sol has served as a motivator since their days as national team members, when they alternated between first and second place in the rankings. Seo has continued this rivalry into her professional career. "Min-sol and I have been close since our amateur days," Seo shared. "As we compete against each other, I feel both of our skills improving. It's a welcome source of motivation."

Seogyo Rim is a practice fiend who trains putting for more than 10 minutes every night. Provided by KLPGA

Seo follows a strict routine of both training and rest. On her days off, she replenishes her energy by watching movies or baseball. Most recently, she watched "The Odyssey" starring Matt Damon. Her favorite domestic professional baseball team is the LG Twins.

Seo also has a strong support system. Samchully Group has actively supported her career so far. Together with last year's player of the year Yoo Hyunjoo, Seo is an alumnus of the Samchully Academy. She is the first Samchully-sponsored player to record four wins in a single season. The previous record was three wins by Ma Dasom in 2024.

During the recent BC Card·Hankyung 48th KLPGA Championship, Seo also received an encouraging phone call from Man-deuk Lee, chairman of Samchully Group. Chairman Lee advised her to "maintain your mentality" and "keep your own pace." He operates the Samchully Sports Team, actively supporting players and nurturing young talent.

Seo expressed her gratitude, saying, "I have received help from so many people on my journey to this point. In particular, Chairman Lee's interest and support have been a great source of strength." She added, "I still have a long way to go. I don't set a specific goal for number of wins. I will do my best not to lose my original mindset, and to play every round free of greed."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.