Kim Sei-young has achieved her 13th career victory on the LPGA Tour, securing a wire-to-wire win at the BMW Ladies Championship amid thunderous support from her local fans. The triumph in Haenam comes nearly five years after her last tour victory, making this a particularly meaningful moment for Kim.

On October 19, at the Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam, South Jeolla Province, Kim delivered a stellar performance during the final round of the LPGA Tour's BMW Ladies Championship, carding six birdies and a single bogey for a five-under-par 67. With a total score of 24-under-par 264, Kim finished four shots clear of runner-up Nasa Hataoka of Japan, who closed at 20-under-par 268.

Since joining the LPGA Tour in 2015, Kim Sei-young tallied twelve wins by steadily adding victories each year up to the Pelican Women’s Championship in November 2020. However, she had endured a five-year title drought before this long-awaited win.

Kim hails from Yeongam, which is near the tournament venue. Energized by the support of her parents’ friends, relatives, and a passionate gallery from her hometown, she began the tournament as the leader in the first round and held onto her position throughout, achieving a wire-to-wire victory. The winner’s purse for her efforts is $345,000.

Arriving at the venue in her symbolic final-round red pants—a tradition reflecting her determination—Kim started the day with a stumble, dropping a shot on the third hole after a three-putt. On the fourth hole, she saw her lead cut to one stroke by No Ye-rin. However, Kim responded quickly with a birdie on the fifth to recover, and added two more birdies on the sixth and seventh to regain momentum at the top. Another birdie at the ninth hole widened the gap over second place to four strokes.

In the back nine, Kim added a birdie at the 14th, and sealed her victory with another at the challenging 15th hole, battling both wind and distance.

Celine Boutier of France and Kim A-lim finished tied for third at 18-under-par 270, while defending champion Hannah Green of Australia shared fifth place at 17-under-par 271 with No Ye-rin.

Ji Eun-hee, who had announced her retirement at this tournament, closed her LPGA career on a high note by carding an eight-under-par round for a share of 24th at 12-under-par 276. Debuting in 2007, Ji retires with six career titles on the tour.

Note “This article was translated from the original Korean version using AI assistance, and subsequently edited by a native-speaking journalist.”

Photo=Haenam, Kwon Hyuk-jae / Reporter