There are three athletes from the Republic of Korea who are currently T6 or better on the BMW Ladies Championship leaderboard and who will be trying to win in their home country over the weekend at Pine Beach Golf Links.

Twelve-time LPGA Tour winner Sei Young Kim is leading the way after the first two rounds, currently sitting alone in first at 16-under overall. She blitzed the field on Thursday with a 10-under 62, a flawless first round that saw her make eight birdies and an eagle on the par-5 6th hole to post her lowest score on the LPGA Tour since she fired a 62 on day one of the 2024 Buick LPGA Shanghai.

Kim then followed that up with a 66 on Friday, carding one bogey on her fourth hole of the day and then ripping off seven birdies in her next 14 holes to finish out round two, three of which came consecutively on the par-5 6th, par-4 7th and par-3 8th holes. Her two-day total of 128 ties Kim’s lowest 36-hole score on the LPGA Tour, which she last shot in 2018 at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic, a tournament at which she was ultimately victorious.

The 32-year-old hasn’t won on Tour since the 2020 ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, despite coming close on several occasions throughout the past five seasons, but Kim has put herself in a strong position to capitalize on this latest opportunity, as she carries a one-stroke advantage heading into the last 36 holes at the BMW Ladies Championship.

“I had really fun play today, especially playing with Hyo Joo,” said Kim. “I know her very well. She's very funny. There was a lot of wind, and as we went to the back nine, there was less wind. She's the kind of person that will not be chasing me, but she likes to talk a lot and relax a lot, and that's what I like to do as well but I also focus, and I have to focus. She said yesterday in the interview that I might be chasing away from her, but today, we had a really good round together.”

Hailing from Wonju, Republic of Korea, Hyo Joo Kim is in a tie for third at 13-under overall, backing up her opening 9-under 63 with a second-round 68 on day two at Pine Beach Golf Links. Thursday saw the 30-year-old hole out for eagle on the par-4 7th hole and card seven birdies en route to posting her lowest round of the 2025 season. She then remained bogey-free on Friday, recording four birdies on the second, 12th, 15th and 18th holes to sit three back of her fellow countrywoman Sei Young Kim with two rounds to play.

Hyo Joo is one of 26 athletes who have won at least one event this season, picking up her seventh career LPGA Tour title at the Ford Championship presented by Wild Horse Pass after defeating former Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 Lilia Vu in a playoff at Whirlwind Golf Club. And now, having put herself squarely in the mix at the BMW Ladies Championship, Hyo Joo will not only be working to track down her eighth career victory and first LPGA Tour win in her home country, but she will also be looking to join Jeeno Thitikul as the second athlete with multiple wins this year.

Sitting in a tie for sixth at 10-under overall, Hye-Jin Choi rounds out the trio of Koreans who are currently at T6 or better at the BMW Ladies Championship. Choi posted a 68 in round one after making one bogey, three birdies and an eagle on the par-5 12th hole and then shot a 6-under 66 on day two, a second-round effort that saw her card one bogey and seven birdies, five of which came consecutively on Nos. 8 through 12.

The 26-year-old joined the LPGA Tour in 2022 and is still in pursuit of her first career victory, despite recording an impressive 27 top-10 results in the four seasons that she has been a member of the organization. And while consistency is often the key to success for a professional golfer, Choi isn’t bashful about how badly she wants to become a Rolex First-Time Winner.

“I saw the article that I earned the highest prize money without having a victory, and knowing that, I am very desperate for a victory and yearning for a victory,” Choi admitted in her post-round press conference on Friday. “On the other hand, it is saying that I'm earning money, and of course, it would be a lot better if I had a victory. So, I always aim to gain the victory and work hard for that.”

Choi will need to dig deep if she wants to close the six-stroke deficit that currently gapes between her and the top of the leaderboard, but after a strong performance in the second round, she should have plenty of momentum on which to lean as she looks ahead to the challenge that awaits her over the weekend in her home country.

“Definitely the five consecutive birdies that I have made the holes were very significant,” Choi said. “In my recent play, I missed some putts less than four meters, and there were = times where the speed wasn't good or the lie wasn't good. Also, on the last two holes, it was pretty close, but I missed some birdie chances. I hope that does not happen (on Saturday). When I have chances, I hope to take advantage.”

Since the BMW Ladies Championship joined the LPGA Tour’s tournament rota in 2019, there have only ever been two Korean winners – Ha Na Jang in 2019 and Jin Young Ko in 2021. But if Sei Young Kim, Hyo Joo Kim and Hye-Jin Choi have anything to say about it, come Sunday afternoon at Pine Beach Golf Links, that number will have grown to four.

Three Republic of Korea Natives in Top Six on BMW Ladies Championship Leaderboard

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