Sei Young Kim Leads BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea

Sei Young Kim and Lindy Duncan Lead the BMW Ladies Championship

HAENAM, South Korea – LPGA Tour veterans Sei Young Kim and Lindy Duncan stood out in the first round of the BMW Ladies Championship on Thursday. Sei Young Kim, 32, signed a card of 62 strokes, ten under par, thanks to eight birdies and an eagle. Duncan, 34, placed two strokes behind, driven by birdies on three of her last five holes. Hyo Joo Kim was positioned between Kim and Duncan, with a round of 63 strokes. Sei Young Kim, who joined the LPGA Tour in 2015, a year after Duncan, has twelve career wins on the LPGA, while Duncan has yet to achieve any. Kim went to 9 under par and led the tournament with a birdie on the 15th hole.

This is near my hometown, so I have a lot of family, my cousins, a lot of fans. I had a great start from the first hole and up to the 18th hole, receiving a lot of support.

Sei Young Kim

Rio Takeda, with 65 strokes, placed in a group tied for fourth place. Brooke Henderson of Canada, signed 67 strokes, while Lucy Li of the United States, who achieved a hole-in-one on the 13th hole and won a car, scored 68. Instagram post description: Lucy Li’s Hole-in-One

It was a good shot into the wind. I sent it straight at the pin. I thought it might be a little short, but it went in. I started freaking out. I thought, this is the hole-in-one. I’ve been complaining all week to my caddie about not holing one this year.

Lucy Li

Defending champion Hannah Green started with consecutive birdies but stalled and finished with a 68, as did Australian Minjee Lee. Green’s victory last year was the third of the 2024 season, making her the first Australian player since Karrie Webb to win three times in a season on the LPGA Tour. Green’s recent tour results include a tie for 28th and a missed cut in Canada in August and a tie for 66th in Arkansas in September.

My golf game hasn’t been where I’d like it to be. The last few months have probably been the most difficult time of my career. I was in Australia for the last three weeks, so I was able to reset.

Hannah Green

This is the first of two consecutive tournaments in South Korea, with the International Crown team event scheduled for next week. Jeeno Thitikul, last week, became the first multiple winner of the LPGA Tour this season with a victory in a five-hole playoff in Shanghai over Minami Katsu, who shot 68 on Thursday in South Korea. Thitikul is not playing this week, but will be part of the Thailand team at the International Crown next week. After the International Crown, two more LPGA events are scheduled on the five-event Asian tour in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and in Japan.