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Kim Sei-young leads after 36 holes at LPGA tournament in South Jeolla

Published: 17 Oct. 2025, 19:11

Kim Sei-young of Korea tees off on the second hole during the second round of the BMW Ladies Championship at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam, South Jeolla Province, on Oct. 17. [YONHAP]

Kim Sei-young holds a narrow lead after 36 holes, heading into the weekend at the LPGA tournament in her native South Korea.

Kim shot a six-under 66 in the second round on Friday to reach 16-under at the halfway point of the BMW Ladies Championship at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul in South Jeolla Province. She is leading Brooke Matthews of the United States by one stroke.

Kim, born in the nearby town of Yeongam, made her first bogey of the tournament at the par-4 fourth hole but then picked up three straight birdies starting at the par-5 sixth. Kim then made four more birdies on the back nine.

The 32-year-old Kim is chasing her 13th career LPGA title and her first since November 2020.

Kim missed three of the 14 fairways and hit 15 greens in regulation. She said afterward her blend of daring and conservative styles of play helped her stay in first place for two straight days.

“I could have taken out the driver and tried to hit it far on some holes,” she said. “But I tried to keep the ball in the fairway, and that helped change the momentum for the better.”

Kim said when the wind died down on the back nine, she started taking aim at pins.

“That helped me create a ton of birdie chances and finish the round on a good note,” Kim added.

Kim said the key is to pick up as many birdies as possible.

“I am sure there will be some pressure on me to win here, but everyone else will be playing in the same conditions,” Kim said. “So I will try to overcome that.”

Another South Korean player, Kim Hyo-joo, is three strokes back of the leader after carding a four-under 68. She is tied for third with Rio Takeda of Japan.

Choi Hye-jin is the third South Korean in the top 10 after shooting a 66 on Friday to get to 10-under for the tournament. She is in a five-way tie for sixth, a group that includes the defending champion, Minjee Lee.

There is no cut in this 72-hole tournament for the 78 players in the field.

The BMW Ladies Championship is the only LPGA event held in South Korea each year. After its launch in 2019, it has seen two South Korean champions: Jang Hana in 2019 and Ko Jin-young in 2021.

The champion will take home $345,000 on Sunday.

Yonhap