Staff WriterSei Young Kim has been around long enough to know that golf doesn’t hand out trophies for leading after three days — but if history’s any guide, the South Korean might already have one hand on the silverware.
After a blistering 54-hole performance at the BMW Ladies Championship, Kim holds the lead for the third consecutive day, rewriting the tournament record books in the process.
Kim’s three-day total of 197 (-19) shattered the 54-hole scoring record, the latest in a week where she’s made Pine Beach Golf Links look more like a dartboard than a golf course. Her Saturday round of 69 wasn’t flawless — one eagle, five birdies, and four bogeys — but it was good enough to keep her clear of the pack.
She hit 9 of 14 fairways, found 13 of 18 greens in regulation, and needed just 29 putts to get the job done. Through three rounds, she ranks second in the field for fewest putts (83) and sits tied for the most birdies made — 20 in 54 holes. That’s not just form; that’s command.
This marks the thirteenth time in Kim’s LPGA career she’s led or co-led after three rounds — and she’s gone on to win eight of those. The last time she led wire-to-wire? The 2019 CME Group Tour Championship, which she won. That’s the kind of precedent that keeps the rest of the leaderboard awake at night.
“So I don’t think there’s a right answer. You just have to deal with the situation, whichever that you have, so that’s—I think that’s the homework that I have for tomorrow, and it’s really a fight against myself. I think that applies to all sports games. I hope to succeed at that tomorrow,” said Kim, sounding like a philosopher in spikes.
Behind her, Yealimi Noh and Nasa Hataoka are clinging to hope, four shots back at -15, knowing full well the mountain they’ve got to climb. For context, the biggest comeback win this season came from Hyo Joo Kim — four shots back at the Ford Championship — so statistically speaking, there’s still a sliver of daylight.
Noh’s third-round 67 tied for the lowest of the day, built on six birdies and a single bogey. The Californian, who won her first LPGA title earlier this year at the Founders Cup, looks like she’s rediscovering that swagger.
“Just so much confidence, confidence that I really needed,” said Noh. “And then it was a great start to the year. Obviously being one of the first events, and it just helped me keep that momentum and get it back this time of the year, too.”
Hataoka, meanwhile, quietly carded a 69 that featured laser-straight driving — she hit all 14 fairways — and a trio of birdies on Nos. 6-8 that reminded everyone why she’s among the LPGA’s most precise players.
“Yeah, sometimes when it’s windy conditions, my upper body gets really tight and it’s tough to swing. That’s why I try to relax,” she explained, referring to her now-famous pre-shot “hop” routine.
If Kim holds on, she’ll collect her 13th career LPGA Tour title — and her first since the 2020 ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican. It would also mark her first-ever victory on home soil, a milestone for the Republic of Korea’s most quietly ruthless competitor.
In doing so, she’d become the 27th different winner of the 2025 LPGA season, setting a new record for most unique champions in a single year. It would also make her the third wire-to-wire winner of the season — and the second consecutive BMW Ladies champion to go coast-to-coast, after Hannah Green pulled it off in 2024.
A win for Sei Young Kim would also continue South Korea’s dominance on tour this year, marking the seventh Korean victory of the season, the highest of any country. She’d join an elite domestic club — one of just four Korean players ever to reach 13 or more LPGA wins — alongside legends like Inbee Park and Se Ri Pak.
Not a bad place to find yourself.
At Rolex World No. 21, Kim has quietly amassed over $14.8 million in career earnings, 77 career top-10 finishes, and a 2020 Rolex Player of the Year award to her name. Add to that her five KLPGA victories and two Olympic appearances, and you get a portrait of a player who’s built for Sundays like this one.
Her relationship with this event runs deep — six starts at the BMW Ladies Championship, with a previous best of T9 in 2019. Now, standing on the brink of her first home win, she’s within reach of something that’s eluded her career so far: victory in front of her own people.
As for the rest of the field, they’ll need something extraordinary. Noh and Hataoka have both shown flashes of brilliance, but Kim’s grip on this tournament feels as firm as her putting stroke.
Still, golf is golf. The gods of this game have been known to toy with even the steadiest hands. But if Sei Young Kim can keep her head, hold her nerve, and win this fight “against herself,” as she puts it — she’ll not only walk away with the trophy, she’ll make history doing it.
