Sei Young Kim leads the 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. 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 positioned herself between both, with a round of 63 strokes. Sei Young Kim, who joined the LPGA Tour in 2015, a year after Duncan, has 12 career wins on the LPGA, while Duncan has yet to achieve any. Kim reached nine under par with a birdie on the 15th hole.

This event is celebrated near my hometown, so I have a lot of family and many fans here. I had a great start from the first hole and felt a lot of support throughout the round.

Sei Young Kim

Rio Takeda, with a round of 65 strokes, placed in a group tied for fourth place. Brooke Henderson of Canada, signed a card of 67 strokes, while Lucy Li of the United States, achieved a hole-in-one on the 13th hole and won a car, finishing with 68 strokes.

Hole-in-one by Lucy Li

It was a good shot into the wind. I sent it straight to the pin. I thought it would be a little short, but it went in. I started going crazy. I thought, this is the hole for the hole-in-one. I’ve been complaining all week to my caddie for not having achieved it this year.

Lucy Li

The current champion, Hannah Green, started with consecutive birdies, but her performance declined, finishing with 68 strokes, as did 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. Green’s recent results include a tie for 28th and a missed cut in Canada in August, and a tie for 66th in Arkansas in September.

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

Hannah Green

This is the first of two consecutive tournaments in South Korea, followed by the International Crown team event next week. Jeeno Thitikul became the first multiple winner on the LPGA Tour this season, following a five-hole playoff victory in Shanghai over Minami Katsu, who carded a 68 in South Korea. 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 are scheduled on the five-event Asian tour in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and in Japan.