The BMW Ladies Championship, taking place from 19th to 22nd October 2023 at Seowon Valley Country Club in South Korea, will feature an elite field of women golfers. Nelly Korda from the USA will be making her first appearance at this tournament, adding to the excitement. In addition, BMW will provide two fully electric hole-in-one cars as prizes.
The BMW Ladies Championship marks an important stage in the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour. It is the starting point for the final phase of the season, which concludes with the CME Group Tour Championship in Florida, USA, at the end of November.
Lydia Ko, a New Zealander who was born in South Korea, is the defending champion. Last year, she won the tournament with an impressive final round score of 65 at Oak Valley Country Club. This year, she will be competing just a few kilometers from her birthplace in Seoul. However, Ko will face tough competition as the field for this year’s championship is exceptionally strong.
The tournament will feature eight of the top ten players on the LPGA ranking list known as the “Race to the CME Globe.” Additionally, all four major winners from 2023 – Lilia Vu (USA), Yin Rouning (CHN), Allisen Corpuz (USA), and Celine Boutier (FRA) – will be participating. The field also includes eight out of the twelve players who won the prestigious Solheim Cup for Europe in September in Malaga, Spain.
Nelly Korda, the 25-year-old daughter of former tennis player Petr Korda, will also be making her debut at the BMW Ladies Championship. Korda won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, adding to the tournament’s high level of competition.
Similar to last year, there will be no cut at the BMW Ladies Championship, meaning all 78 players will receive prize money and earn points towards the “Race to the CME Globe.” These points are crucial as players aim to secure one of the 60 spots at the season finale and position themselves for a chance to win the season overall. Currently, Celine Boutier is leading the ranking list, with Esther Henseleit as the highest-ranked German player in 41st place.
Aside from playing for a share of the $2.2 million prize money, the golfers will also have an opportunity to win hole-in-one cars provided by BMW. If a player achieves a hole-in-one on the 14th hole, they will receive a BMW i5, while a BMW i7 awaits the first player to achieve a hole-in-one on the 16th hole. Last year, history was made when both hole-in-one prizes were won on the same day during the third round, a first in BMW’s long history of involvement in international golf.
The BMW Ladies Championship made its debut in 2019 at LPGA International Busan and returned to the same venue two years later. Last year, the tournament took place at Oak Valley Country Club. This year’s championship will be held at Seowon Valley Country Club, located roughly an hour’s drive from Seoul. The golf course layout, specifically the West and South Courses, has been redesigned by renowned golf course architect David Dale to provide a more dynamic, challenging, and tactical experience, including the addition of 86 new bunkers.