Sei Young Kim charges in dominant fashion toward her 13th career LPGA Tour title at the 2025 BMW Ladies Championship, leading for a third straight 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 scoring record for the event with a three-day total of 197. Now she has a four-stroke lead going into the final round at Pine Beach Golf Links on Sunday.
While Kim’s third-round 69 may not have been her lowest round of the week, it showed some other important skills: composure under pressure and resilience. Despite the difficult circumstances, Kim not only managed to maintain her place at the top of the rankings, but was even able to increase her lead.
“It was a really tough round,” she said. “The more I think it really resembles the one in Wales, the course condition and the level of difficulty were really similar.”
If she holds out, it would be her first LPGA win since 2020 and her first on home soil.
At 15 under, Yealimi Noh and Nasa Hataoka are not far behind, both putting in strong performances in the third round and staying close.
Noh fired a five-under 67 on Saturday – the lowest round of the day – with six birdies and just one bogey. Four shots behind, she is well within reach of capturing her second LPGA Tour victory and adding to her already impressive 2025 season, which includes a win earlier this year at the Founders Cup.
Hataoka also tied for second place and had a solid 69 in the third round thanks to her control and consistency, hitting all 14 fairways and 15 greens in regulation. If she can battle for a win on Sunday, it would be her seventh career LPGA title.
Meanwhile, defending champion Hannah Green has also kept herself in the mix, sitting T10 after a third consecutive round in the 60s (69-69-68).
For Kim, Sunday offers more than just a title. It is a chance to achieve a wire-to-wire victory at home, together with Ha Na Jang (2019) and Jin Young Ko (2021) – former Korean champions of the BMW Ladies Championship.
With Noh and Hataoka on her heels, the final round will be an exciting battle to the finish. However, as Kim shared after Saturday’s round, the real battle may not be against her competitors, but instead a test of inner strength.
“It’s really a battle against myself,” she said. “I hope we can do that tomorrow.”
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