Kim Sei-young edges clear at LPGA Tour Championship

MIAMI, Florida: Kim Sei-young conjured a late eagle to open up a two-shot lead after the first round of the LPGA Tour Championship in Florida on Thursday.

The South Korean’s moment of magic came on the par-five 17th hole at Tiburon Golf Club, when she hit her approach to the edge of the green before draining a 12-foot putt for eagle.

A par on the 18th gave Kim a seven-under-par 65, completing a flawless bogey-free round that also included five birdies.

It left Kim as the early front-runner for what is the richest tournament in women’s golf, where the winner will pocket a record $1.5 million.

Kim can expect a stiff challenge over the final three rounds, with a crowded field of contenders lurking just off the lead.

Three players — Nelly Korda of the United States, England’s Georgia Hall and Korea’s Ryu So-yeon — carded five-under-par 67s to start.

Hall, who like Kim eagled the 17th, might have joined the Korean at the top of the leaderboard had it not been for a disastrous double-bogey six on the 13th.