Sei Young Kim led BMW Championship for Ladies at the end of the first, second and third rounds this week at Pine Beach Golf Links in South Korea, but in the final round the nerves set in.
The 32-year-old protester from South Korea had not won a tournament since 2020, but she was able to end the drought on Sunday – and then missed a birdie putt on the first hole and three-putt for bogey on the third.
“I was really nervous from the beginning because it had been a while since I played in the last group, I wasn’t sure if it was real. So I was really wondering,” Kim said. “… My dad always told me when I’m nervous, ‘Don’t back down,’ and I tried to remember that mindset.”
Kim didn’t make another bogey and birdied 5, 6, 7 and 9. She added two more at 14 and 15 to sign for a five-under 67 and cruise to the finish line. At 24, she beat runner-up Nasa Hataoka by four. Celine Boutier and A Lim Kim tied for third at 18 under.
This is Kim’s 13th career win and she is now a record 27th different winner on the LPGA Tour this season.
“I think it shows how strong the LPGA Tour is right now,” Kim said.
In 2019, Kim won three times, including the CME Group Tour Championship. She won twice more in 2020, highlighted by her only major title in that The KPMG PGA Women’s Championship in October 2020 (which pushed him to #2 in the world). A month later she won the Annika, but since then she has not lifted another trophy.
As the drought continued, her confidence waned.
“There was no victory for the last five years. I was worried it would take longer,” she said. “I just wanted to try hard, whether it takes five years or 10 years. I think it’s very important to find the moment and continue on that path, and staying on track is one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned. I want to take this moment to have more wins in my career going forward.”
Kim started the day with a four-shot lead over Yealimi Noh and Hataoka, but Noh played the final 14 holes at even par after she was two under in the first four. Hataoka was one under at 11 and then bogeyed four of the last five, and while that late surge was good enough to earn a runner-up finish, it wasn’t close enough to scare Kim.
“I think it took me more than 10 years to make money for my family and friends,” Kim said. “It means a lot to me. It’s a tournament that I really wanted to win and I find that I can’t express my words for everyone. I had really good energy from all the fans.”
