A Fast Start Turns the Final Round
Yuri Yoshida claimed her maiden LPGA Tour title on Sunday at the BMW Ladies Championship, the only LPGA event held in South Korea, finishing at 17-under-par 271 at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam. The 26-year-old Japanese player began the final round four strokes behind overnight leader Haeran Ryu, then produced an eagle on the second hole and three birdies across her first seven holes to seize a lead she would not surrender.[S1][S2][S3]
The closing stretch proved tense. Yoshida bogeyed the 15th, birdied the 17th and then dropped a shot at the last, but Ryu also bogeyed the 18th in challenging, rainy conditions, leaving Yoshida one stroke clear. Her final-round 68 secured the winner's cheque of $352,500, according to Kyodo News.[S1][S2][S3]
Ryu, who had led through three rounds with scores of 67, 64 and 68, carded a 73 on Sunday and shared second place with Hye-Jin Choi at 16 under par. Choi's wait for a first LPGA victory continues; the 27-year-old had also finished runner-up by a single stroke the previous week in Shanghai, behind Yin Ruoning.[S1][S2]
Hyo Joo Kim and Minsol Kim tied for fourth at 15 under par. Among other Japanese competitors, Nasa Hataoka shot a 66 to share sixth at 14 under, while sisters Akie and Chisato Iwai finished tied for 15th at 11 under.[S1][S2]
An Ace and a New Electric Car
Andrea Lee provided the tournament's standout shot during the second round, holing out from 122 yards with a 9-iron on the par-three 8th for a hole-in-one. The American, who has South Korean roots, received an all-electric MINI Countryman SE ALL4 as part of the Hole-in-One Award and said she was delighted with the prize.[S1]
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Lee becomes the fifth player in the history of the BMW Ladies Championship to win a car. Kristen Gillman was the first, during the inaugural 2019 event, when she claimed a BMW 740Li xDrive. In 2022, two Hole-in-One Awards were won on the same day: Na Yeon Choi took a BMW X7 xDrive40i and Ariya Jutanugarn a BMW 740i. Last year, Lucy Li won a BMW i7 eDrive50 in the opening round.[S1]
The other two electric hole-in-one cars on offer, a BMW i7 on the 13th and a BMW iX3 on the 15th, went unclaimed. Organisers reported that 40,171 spectators attended the week at Pine Beach Golf Links, which hosted the event for the second consecutive edition.[S1]
A Second Japanese Win in South Korea
Yoshida was not the only Japanese golfer celebrating in South Korea that day. Yuto Katsuragawa won the DP World Tour's Genesis Championship by two strokes at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club, closing with an even-par 71 to finish at 13-under 271. He described the result as the greatest moment of his life, according to The Straits Times.[S2]
Frederic Lacroix and Martin Couvra of France finished second and third respectively, with rounds of 68 and 69. It was Katsuragawa's second title on the DP World Tour.[S2]
