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Kim Sei-young leads LPGA tournament at home through 54 holes

Published: 19 Oct. 2025, 12:25

Kim Sei-young tees off on the second hole during the third round of the BMW Ladies Championship at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam County, South Jeolla, on Oct. 18. [AFP/YONHAP]

Kim Sei-young is leading the LPGA tournament on home soil entering Sunday's final round, putting herself 18 holes away from completing a wire-to-wire victory.

Kim shot three-under 69 to get to 19-under through 54 holes at the BMW Ladies Championship at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam, South Jeolla, on Saturday. Kim had five birdies, one eagle and four bogeys to open up a four-stroke lead over two players: Korean American Yealimi Noh and Nasa Hataoka of Japan.

Kim shot a 10-under 62 on Thursday to climb to the top of the leaderboard and has stayed there for the whole week. She is pursuing her first LPGA win since November 2020.

She had three birdies but also two bogeys on the front nine, one more than she had the previous two rounds combined. She then birdied two of the first three holes after the turn to get to 19-under.

A bogey on the 16th threatened to take the wind out of her sails, but then she eagled the par-5 17th to move to 20-under, five shots clear of the field at that point.

Kim closed her round with a bogey but still holds a comfortable lead heading into Sunday.

With 197, Kim set a 54-hole scoring record. This is the second time that Kim has led or co-led after each of the first three rounds of a tournament.

The first time she did so came at the 2019 CME Group Tour Championship, which Kim went on to win.

Kim has won eight of the 12 previous tournaments that she led or co-led after three rounds.

Kim Sei-young tees off on the eighth hole during the third round of the BMW Ladies Championship at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam County, South Jeolla, on Oct. 18. [AFP/YONHAP]

If Kim wins Sunday, she would become the 27th different winner this season, an LPGA record.

She is also trying to become the third wire-to-wire champion this season, joining two fellow Koreans, Ryu Hae-ran and Kim A-lim.

Kim Sei-young, who has never won an LPGA event on her home soil, said Saturday she will not let her guard down with a four-stroke lead.

"I think I've been struggling since my last victory in 2020 because I felt too content with what I'd accomplished up to that point," the 32-year-old said. "I began accepting my reality last year and decided to start from scratch. I am trying to adopt the mindset of a rookie."

She said windy conditions made for a tough scoring environment in the third round.

"I think everyone will put up good scores tomorrow with the wind expected to die down a bit," Kim added. "I think the final round will be a battle against myself. I've wasted some opportunities to win in the final round, and I will try to pounce on this chance tomorrow."

Among other Korean players, Lee So-mi, who earned her first LPGA win in June, is tied for fifth at 13-under, while Kim A-lim is another stroke back in a tie for eighth.

Yonhap