The LPGA Tour’s Korean legion will be in the hunt for victory at home.
The BMW Women’s Championship, the only LPGA Tour event to be held in South Korea, will get underway on April 19 at the par-72 Seowon Hills Course in Seowon Valley, Gyeonggi Province.
The event is part of the LPGA Tour’s Asia Swing. It was first held as the KEB Hana Bank Championship in 2015 and has been renamed the BMW Ladies Championship since 2019. This year, 78 players will compete for the title over four days with no cuts.
A media day was held two days before the first round of the tournament on July 17, with major players in attendance.
Kim, who recently won the Ascendant LPGA for the first time in a year and a half, said, “I was very stressed before I won. Thanks to the win, I was able to gain confidence,” she said, adding, “I hope that my luck on the 9th hole of the Ascendant LPGA will take a break and come back to me this week.”
On the ninth hole of the final round of the Ascendant LPGA on Sept. 9, Kim’s putt caught on the edge of the hole. As she walked to the hole, the ball fell into the hole and she made birdie. “This week, I hope I can play well and have a little bit of luck, so I can have good shots and good scores,” Kim said.
Ko, who has two wins this season, finished second at the CPKC Women’s Open in Canada in August. After taking a break, she recently finished runner-up at the European Ladies European Tour (LET) Hong Kong event, where she found her game again. Notably, Ko won the event in 2021 to become the 200th Korean player to win on the LPGA Tour.
“I needed a break, so I spent a lot of time with my parents in Korea,” says Ko, “and I tried to find out what happiness is in life. I’m happy to be a good golfer, but I thought a lot about it while resting in Korea.” 안전놀이터
This is the first appearance for Shin, who has compiled 64 career wins in the professional ranks. Shin has also picked up two wins on the JLPGA Tour this year. She finished runner-up at the U.S. Women’s Open and third at the AIG Women’s Open, showing that she is still playing at the highest level in her mid-30s.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve played in Korea, so I’m very excited. It’s been a long time since I’ve played in Korea, and it’s been fun to prepare for the tournament,” said Shin. “After playing in Japan for so long, I needed a new stimulus and wanted to keep challenging myself. I will continue to compete as much as possible when I get a good opportunity so that I don’t have any regrets.”
Hae-ran recently returned home with her first LPGA Tour victory at the Arkansas Championship. “It feels great to be in Korea after winning,” said Hae-ran, adding, “My shots were a little shaky after the win, but I made a lot of corrections in China last week. I’m looking forward to the future.”
Defending champion Lydia Goh, a New Zealand expatriate, will defend her title. “I’ve always wanted to win a tournament in Korea,” she said, “and playing in front of so many Korean fans makes it even more exciting.”