Sei Young Kim leads the BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea

Sei Young Kim Leads 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. Sei Young Kim, 32, signed a card of 62 strokes, ten under par, with eight birdies and an eagle, leading the leaderboard at Pine Beach Golf Links. Duncan, 34, was two strokes behind, thanks to birdies on three of his 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, has earned 12 career victories, unlike Duncan. Kim went to 9 under par and took the lead 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 shot a 65 and placed in a tie for fourth place. Brooke Henderson of Canada completed the round with 67 strokes, while Lucy Li of the United States, who achieved a hole-in-one on the 13th hole and won a car, finished with 68.

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

Hannah Green, the defending champion, started with consecutive birdies but then stalled, finishing with 68 strokes, just like the Australian Minjee Lee. Green’s victory last year was her 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. Recent results for Green on the tour 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 I’ve had in my career. I was in Australia for the last three weeks, so I was able to reset.

Hannah Green

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