U.S., Korean tour stars to converge for LPGA event

Stars from the top U.S. and domestic women's golf tours will converge for an LPGA Tour event in Korea this week, with a hometown favorite looking to defend her title.

The LPGA Tour will bring its annual Asian swing to Haenam County in Jeonnam-Gwangju for the BMW Ladies Championship at Pine Beach Golf Links. The 72-hole stroke-play tournament goes from Thursday to Sunday, with a total purse of $2.4 million.

This will be the second straight edition of the tournament played in Haenam County. Kim Sei-young, who is from the nearby town of Yeongam County, Jeonnam-Gwangju, won last year's tournament in front of dozens of friends and relatives to end a five-year LPGA title drought.

At No. 9 with 13 career LPGA wins, Kim has had a strong 2026 season with seven top-10 finishes in 17 starts — a run that will surely improve with a second straight BMW title on home soil this week. No player has won consecutive BMW tournaments since its launch in 2019.

Kim is the third-highest-ranked Korean player in the field.

World No. 3 Ryu Hae-ran leads all Korean players in the rankings and will also be the highest-ranked player at this tournament. The 25-year-old has had a breakout campaign this year by winning two major titles and notching eight other top-10 finishes.

Kim Hyo-joo, world No. 5, is also a two-time tour winner this year who has four other top-10 finishes. She will chase her career win No. 10, which would make her the sixth Korean player to reach double figures in LPGA titles.

This week will also see 15 players from the Korea LPGA (KLPGA) Tour, including its two best players this year — Kim Min-sol and Seo Kyo-rim.

Kim, a 20-year-old rookie, is leading the tour in money and the Rookie of the Year points. Kim is also second in the Player of the Year points, behind Seo, who is in second place on the money list.

Seo has won four KLPGA tournaments this year to Kim's three. In the world rankings, Kim is the top KLPGA player at No. 13, with Seo checking in at No. 32.

A nonmember who wins an LPGA tournament will earn eligibility for LPGA membership. That player can either accept her LPGA card immediately or defer it to the start of the following year.

Yonhap