Se Young Kim is aiming for her 13th career LPGA Tour title in dominant fashion in 2025 BMW Championship for Ladiesholding the lead for the third consecutive day and making history along the way. After shooting a three-under 69 in the third round, Kim (currently 19-under par) set a new 54-hole record for the event with a three-day total of 197. She now holds a four-shot lead heading into Sunday’s final round at Pine Beach Golf Links.
While Kim’s third-round 69 may not have been her lowest round of the week, it did display some other important skills: composure under pressure and resilience. Despite the tough conditions, Kim was able to not only maintain her spot at the top of the leaderboard, but she was even able to extend her lead by four strokes.
“It was a really tough round,” she said. “The more I think about it, it really looks like the ones in Wales, the condition of the course and the level of difficulty, it was really similar.”
If she can hold on, it would mark her first LPGA win since 2020 and her first on home soil.
Not far behind at 15-way are Yealimi Noh and Nasa Hataoka, both of whom had strong performances in the third round to stay close.
Noh shot a 5-under 67 — the low round of the day — on Saturday with six birdies and just one bogey. Sitting four shots back, she is well within reach of capturing her second LPGA Tour victory and adding to her already impressive 2025 season that includes a win earlier this year at the Founders Cup.
Also tied for second, Hataoka had a strong 69 in the third round thanks to her control and consistency, hitting all 14 fairways and 15 greens in regulation. If she can rally for a win on Sunday, it would be her seventh career LPGA title.
Meanwhile, the reigning champion Hannah Green has also kept himself in the mix, sitting T10 after a third straight round in the 60s (69-69-68).
For Kim, Sunday offers more than another title. It’s an opportunity to complete a wire-to-wire victory at home, joining Ha Na Jang (2019) and Jin Young Ko (2021) – past Korean BMW Women’s Championship champions.
With Noh and Hataoka hot on her heels, the final round is shaping up to be an exciting fight to the finish. But as Kim said after Saturday’s round, the real battle may not be against her competitors, but rather a test of inner strength.
“It’s really a war against ourselves,” she said. “I hope to succeed in this tomorrow.”
