The BMW Ladies Championship, a co-sanctioned event of the LPGA of Korea Tour and the LPGA, took place this week in Busan, Korea. The inaugural event was held in 2019, where Ha Na Jang defeated Danielle Kang with a birdie on the third playoff hole for her fifth LPGA victory. The event was postponed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 72-hole tournament is played on a par 72 layoff of 6726 yards. There was a lot to play for with a purse of $2 million and 500 points towards the Race to the CME Globe for the winner.
First Round
Na Rin An took the lead with a round of 64 that included nine birdies and a bogey. She held a one-shot lead over In Gee Chun and Ju Young Pak. Danielle Kang was in the mix after posting seven birdies and round of 66. She was tied with A Lim Kim and Hae Ran Ryu. Among those three shots off the pace were Esther Henseleit, Gaby Lopez, Minjee Lee, and Sei Young Kim. Moriya Jutanugarn paced a group of seven at four-under par. Notables at three-under par were Charley Hull and Jeongeun Lee6. A logjam of 15 players with rounds of 70 included Ariya Jutanugarn, Inbee Park, Celine Boutier, and Leona Maguire.
On a day where scoring was excellent, another 15 were at one-under par, including Jin Young Ko, Yealimi Noh, and Hyo Joo Kim. All told, 56 players of the 83 in the field were under par. A surprise exception was Lydia Ko, whose triple bogey eight on the 9th left her at one-over, along with Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Carlota Ciganda. Ha Na Jang shot a 74 and Matilda Castren struggled with two triple bogeys and a round of 80.
Second Round
Hee Jeong Lim sprinted up the leaderboard three birdies over the first four holes. She finished with a round of 66 and tied Na Rin An for the lead at the midway point at 11-under par. Danielle Kang posted a 68 and was tied with In Gee Chung at 10-under. Jin Young Ko was back in the mix after a 64 put her in sole possession of 5th at nine-under par. Hae Ran Ryu’s round of 66 put her into a tie with Minjee Lee at eight-under. Moriya Jutanugarn led a group of four at seven-under. Still within striking distance was Jennifer Song, who got into position after a five-under par round of 67. A large group of ten players were at five-under par which included Ariya Jutanugarn, Hyo Joo Kim, Jeonguen Lee6, and Esther Henseleit.
After stumbling in the first round, Lydia Ko posted a 67 and was in a group of 10 at four-under par. Inbee Park shot a 71 and Gaby Lopez shot a 74 at were among those at three-under par. Nana Koerstz Madsen entered the weekend at two-under par and 53 of the players in the field were under par after 36 holes. Notables well off the pace were So Yeon Ryu and Jennifer Kupcho (even), Yealimi Noh (two-over), and Matilda Castren (six-over).
Third Round
Continuing her hot play from the second round was Hee Jeong Lim, whose seven-birdie round of 65 put her in the lead at 18-under par. Four shots off the pace was Jin Young Ko, who posted a round of 67. Another shot back were Hae Ran Ryu and Danielle Kang, while Minjee Lee and In Gee Chun were lurking at 12-under par. Seven shots off the lead were Alison Lee after a round of 67 and Moriya Jutanugarn, who posted a 68. Da Yeon Lee bounced back after a 73 in round two to shoot a 65 and was in at 10-under.
Lydia Ko continued to quietly move up the leaderboard after her score of 67 placed her at nine-under par. Ariya Jutanugarn and Ju Young Pak were among those at eight-under, while a group of 12 that included WinacheeMeechair, Charley Hull, and Celine Boutier were at seven-under par.
Notables that were far off the pace included Inbee Park (four-under), Jennifer Kupcho (three-under), Yealimi Noh (two-under), So Yeon Ryu (one-under), Amy Yang (five-over), and Matilda Castren (six-over).
Final Round
Excellent scoring through the field continued in the final round. Lydia Ko and A Lim Kim posted rounds of 64 and Da Yeon Lee shot a 65. They finished tied for third at 17-under par. Ji Hyun Oh also shot a round of 65 and finished tied for 10th with Danielle Kang at 14-under par. Ha Na Jang and Yunji Jeong posted the only rounds of 66 on Sunday and finished tied for 14th at 12-under par. Ariya Jutanugarn was one of five players who posted a final round of 67 and finished tied for 12th at 13-under par.
Jin Young Ko posted the round of the day with a 64 that included six birdies on the front nine. She finished tied at the top after 72 holes with Hee Jeong Lim, who shot a 68. With a birdie on the first playoff hole, Ko was victorious for the second straight week and earned the 200th LPGA Tour win by a Korean-born player. With her win, she is set to overtake Nelly Korda, who wasn’t in the field, as the number one player in the world.
Notables include Moriya Jutanugarn and Charley Hull (11-under), Celine Boutier (nine-under), Jeongeun Lee6 (seven-under), Inbee Park (six-under), Gaby Lopez (five-under), Yealimi Noh and Jennifer Kupcho (three-under), Leona Maguire (even), and Matilda Castren (seven-over).
Coming Up
The LPGA Tour returns to the United States for the Pelican Women’s Championship in Belleair, Florida. In the inaugural event last season, Sei Young Kim cruised to a 14-under par total and three shot win. The victory we her 12th LPGA Tour title.
The tournament is a 72-hole event playing on a par 70 layout of 6268 yards. The purse is $1,750,000 with 500 points to the winner towards the Race to the CME Globe.
