Kim Sei-young returns as defending champion after winning last year’s tournament by four strokes. The victory ended a five-year LPGA title drought for Kim, who is from nearby Yeongam. She enters this week ranked ninth in the world with 13 LPGA victories and seven top-10 finishes in 17 starts this season. No player has won consecutive BMW Ladies Championship titles since the tournament began in 2019.
Ryu Hae-ran, ranked third in the world, is the highest-ranked player in the field. The 25-year-old South Korean has won two major titles this season and added eight other top-10 finishes. Kim Hyo-joo, ranked sixth, has also won twice this year and has four additional top-10 results. A 10th LPGA victory would make Kim Hyo-joo the sixth South Korean player to reach double figures.
Yoon Ina and Choi Hye-jin are also scheduled to compete. Yoon, ranked 16th, is in her second LPGA season and is seeking her first victory. Choi rose to 23rd after finishing runner-up in Shanghai on Sunday, narrowly missing her first LPGA title in her 124th start.
The field includes 15 players from the Korea LPGA Tour, including Kim Min-sol and Seo Kyo-rim, the tour’s leading players this season. Kim Min-sol, a 20-year-old rookie, leads the money list and Rookie of the Year standings and is second in Player of the Year points. Kim has won three KLPGA events and is ranked 15th in the world, while Seo is ranked 34th.
Kim Min-sol has recorded five top-five finishes in her past nine tournaments, including three runner-up results.
The tournament will hold an all-South Korean pretournament press conference on Wednesday featuring Kim Sei-young, Ryu Hae-ran, Yoon Ina, Choi Hye-jin, Kim Min-sol and Seo Kyo-rim. A nonmember who wins the event will become eligible for LPGA membership and may accept the membership immediately or defer it until the following year.