By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, Oct. 14 (Yonhap) -- World No. 3 and two-time major champion Ryu Hae-ran will headline the field of over 80 players at the upcoming LPGA Tour event in South Korea.
Organizers of the BMW Ladies Championship announced Wednesday Ryu will be the highest-ranked player teeing off when the four-day tournament begins Oct. 22 at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul in South Jeolla Province.
Ryu will be joined by the defending champion Kim Sei-young, No. 9 in the latest rankings, and world No. 5 Kim Hyo-joo, who has two LPGA wins this season.
Ryu Hae-ran of South Korea tees off on the fifth hole during the final round of the FM Championship at TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts, on Aug. 30, 2026, in this Getty Images file photo. (Yonhap)
Ryu captured back-to-back major titles this summer, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in June and the Amundi Evian Championship in July, to crack the top three in the world rankings. Ryu also won a Korea LPGA (KLPGA) major tournament at the start of October.
At last year's BMW tournament, Kim Sei-young ended her five-year LPGA title drought with her wire-to-wire victory and did so in front of her family and friends. She is from Yeongam, a town about a 30-minute drive from Haenam. The 33-year-old will try to become the first player to win consecutive BMW Ladies Championships.
Kim Hyo-joo is having a strong season, too, with two victories and four other top-10 finishes in 16 starts.
Aside from this trio of South Koreans, English star Lottie Woad, at No. 7, is the only other top-10 player in the field.
The tournament will also feature 15 players from the KLPGA Tour, including Kim Min-sol and Seo Kyo-rim.
Kim, a 20-year-old rookie, is currently leading the Korean tour in money and the Rookie of the Year points. Seo is the leader in the Player of the Year points and sits second behind Kim in money.
Seo has won four tournaments this year to Kim's three, but Kim is currently the top KLPGA player in the world rankings at No. 13, 19 spots ahead of Seo.
A non-LPGA member who wins an LPGA tournament becomes eligible for LPGA membership. That player can either accept LPGA card immediately or defer it to the start of the following season.
Kim Sei-young of South Korea watches her shot from the 17th fairway during the final round of the FM Championship at TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts, on Aug. 30, 2026, in this Associated Press file photo. (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
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