Sei Young Kim Opens FM Championship Lead

Sei Young Kim opened the FM Championship at TPC Boston with an 8-under 64 to take a first-round lead, aided by an eagle on the par-5 seventh and a quick stretch of six-under through six holes, finishing with 24 putts as softer greens helped her attack. Yamashita Miyu and Emily Kristine Pedersen followed one stroke back in 7-under 65, with Yamashita posting a six-birdie back nine that included ten total birdies but a double bogey on the eighth. Kim is bidding to rebound from last week’s podium at the CPKC Women’s Open, and her early form comes as Korean players dominate the leaderboard, with Lee So-mi in fourth at 6-under and other top-ranked contenders like Korda mixed in the field. The event features a $4.4 million purse, the largest outside the majors on the LPGA Tour, as players chase a win that could bolster momentum ahead of the Solheim Cup. Kim’s round benefited from a soft course setup compared to last year, and she credited her improved putting as a key factor in this hot start. Additional notes from the opening round highlighted Pedersen’s late-minute surge and Yamashita’s prolific birdie production, underscoring a competitive field as the tournament unfolds.