Sei Young Kim leads in Korea: She shines at the BMW Ladies Championship

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, thanks to eight birdies and an eagle, leading the leaderboard at Pine Beach Golf Links. Duncan, 34, was two strokes away, with birdies on three of his last five holes. Hyo Joo Kim was positioned between the two golfers, with a round of 63 strokes. Sei Young Kim, who joined the LPGA Tour in 2015, has 12 career wins, unlike Duncan. Kim got to 9 under par and took the lead with a birdie on the 15th hole.

I’m close to my hometown, so I have a lot of family, my cousins, a lot of fans. I had a great start from the first hole to the 18th, 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 shot a 67, while Lucy Li, who had a hole-in-one on the 13th hole and won a car, shot a 68.

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Lucy Li celebrates her hole-in-one.

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Sei Young Kim birdies the 15th hole.

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

Lucy Li

Hannah Green, the defending champion, started with consecutive birdies, but then struggled and finished 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. Green has had recent results such as 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 two 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, with a victory in a five-hole playoff in Shanghai over Minami Katsu, who shot 68 strokes 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 Japan.