Top players from the Korea Women's Professional Golf (KLPGA) Tour and the U.S. Women's Professional Golf (LPGA) Tour are set to clash in Haenam.

The LPGA Tour BMW Ladies Championship will open on October 22 for a four-day run at the Pine Beach Golf Links (par 72) in Haenam-gun, South Jeolla Province.

As the only LPGA Tour event held in South Korea, the tournament features 84 players competing for a total purse of 2.35 million dollars.

Following a business agreement between the KLPGA and LPGA tours this season, 15 players from the KLPGA Tour will participate.

The entry tickets were awarded to the top 15 players in the season prize money rankings, concluded with the KLPGA Tour's HJ Shipbuilding & Construction / Dongbu Construction Championship, which wrapped up on October 11.

Leading the charge for the KLPGA Tour are prize money ranking leader Kim Min-sol and runner-up Seo Gyo-rim.

Kim Min-sol has claimed three wins on the KLPGA Tour this season and maintains a sharp shot sense, finishing in the top five in five of her last nine events, including three runner-up finishes.

Seo Gyo-rim has secured four wins this season and holds the top spot in the Player of the Year points race.

However, she has recently experienced physical fatigue and withdrew after the first round of last week's Iceberg Golf & Seoul Shinmun Open due to rib pain.

In addition, other rising stars of this season—Kim Min-sun, Yoo Hyun-jo, Choi Ye-rim, Jang Eun-soo, Lee Da-yeon, Bang Shin-sil, Lee Ye-won, Kim Min-joo, Park Bo-gyeom, Park Min-ji, Jeon Ye-sung, Yoo Seo-yeon, and Park Hye-jun—are gearing up to showcase their fierce skills on the LPGA stage.


Top-tier players are also heading to the LPGA Tour, including reigning champion Kim Sei-young, two-time major winner Yoo Hae-ran, and Kim Hyo-joo, who has captured four wins this season while traveling between the U.S. and South Korea, alongside world number seven Lottie Woad (England) and former world number one Celine Boutier (France).

Among them, Yoo Hae-ran stands at a crucial crossroads in her pursuit of the prestigious Vare Trophy, awarded to the player with the lowest scoring average.

While Nelly Korda (U.S.) currently leads the scoring average, she is not competing in this event and is expected to fall short of the minimum round requirement (70 rounds) for the season.

Consequently, second-place Yoo Hae-ran (69.54 strokes), third-place Miyu Yamashita (Japan, 69.64 strokes), and fourth-place Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand, 69.81 strokes) are competing for the Vare Trophy.

Since Yamashita and Thitikul are not participating in this tournament, Yoo needs to widen the gap between them.

Choi Hye-jin, who finished as runner-up at last week's Buick LPGA Shanghai, is also targeting her first LPGA Tour victory on home soil.

Having jumped to the U.S. stage in 2022, Choi has finished as a runner-up five times since her LPGA Tour debut, but has yet to claim a victory.

Meanwhile, Japanese players such as sisters Chisato and Akie Iwai, Minami Katsu, and Nasa Hataoka are expected to engage in a fierce competition with the Korean players.

Pine Beach Golf Links, hosting the tournament for the second consecutive year, is located by the sea and known for strong winds.

Certain holes sit right along coastal cliffs, posing psychological pressure on the players, while undulating greens are also expected to challenge them.

(Photo: Provided by KLPGA, Provided by the BMW Ladies Championship Organizing Committee, Yonhap News)