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via Reuters

via Reuters

BMW Ladies Championship is set to return to Korea on 19th October. At the start of the Asian Fall Swing, LPGA arrives in Seoul after stopping at Shanghai for the Buicks LPGA Championship. Lydia Ko will travel to her country of birth to defend her title. The race for the $2.2 million prize with no cut will start on 19th October. 

Being the only LPGA event held in Korea, the BMW Ladies Championship has generated extra attention in the East Asian country. Last year, 81,675 fans watched Lydia Ko lift the trophy. Ahead of the tournament, here is everything you need to know about the tee-off timings and prize money for the players.

Where is the BMW Ladies Championship 2023 going to be held?

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The event first became a part of the LPGA circle in 2019. However, it was hosted at LPGA International Busan. Last year, it was held at Oak Valley Country Club in Wonju, Gangwon. This time, Seowon Valley Country Club in Goju is hosting the event for the first time. As per the official website, the golf course went through specific modifications, particularly for this year’s tournament, like the addition of 86 new bunkers.

Who are the past winners?

Kiwi golfer Lydia Ko bagged the title last year, scoring 65 in the final round. Since its inception, this tournament has been exclusively won by Korean-born golfers. Cho Yoon-ji won the tournament in its inaugural edition. Although Ko is a New Zealand citizen, she was born in South Korea before emigrating to the West Pacific country.

via Imago

How to watch the BMW Ladies Championship

NBC Golf has the telecasting right of the event in the USA. The event will be telecast from 11 PM to 3 AM PST on NBC Golf and can be streamed live on Peacock. Here is the full schedule for the four-day event.

DateRound
Thursday, 19 October 20231st Round
Friday, 20 October 20232nd Round
Saturday, 21 October 20233rd Round
Sunday, 22 October 20234th Round

Players you should look out for at the BMW Ladies Championship 

39 of the top 50 in the Rolex world ranking will tee it up in Seoul for the $2.2 million prize money. Some of the biggest names include defending champion Lydia Ko, current world no. 1 Lilia Vu, Ruoning Yin, Allisen Korpuz, Megan Khang, Solheim Cup winner Georgia Hal, Carlota Ciganda, and Anna Nordqvist. Ko is playing on a sponsor’s exemption at this year’s BMW Ladies Championship to defend her title. 

However, it will be Nelly Korda who will draw much of the limelight, because of the former world no.1’s return to the greens after her prolonged hiatus following the Solheim Cup defeat. Here is a list of the top 39 players from the Rolex rankings.

1Lilia Vu
2Ruoning Yin
3Jin Young Ko
4Nelly Korda
5Celine Boutier
6Hyo-Joo Kim
7Minjee Lee
10Allisen Corpuz
11Brooke Henderson
12Lydia Ko
13Atthaya Thitikul
14Megan Khang
15Linn Grant
16Jiyai Shin
17Nasa Hataoka
18Georgia Hall
20Ashleigh Buhai
21Ayaka Furue
22Hannah Green
24Yuka Saso
26In Gee Chun
27Hae Ran Ryu
30Carlota Ciganda
31Ye Won Lee
32Hye Jin Choi
33Jennifer Kupcho
34Rose Zhang
35Angel Yin
37Danielle Kang
38Amy Yang
39Andrea Lee
41Anna Nordqvist
42Maja Stark
43A Lim Kim
45Sei Young Kim
46Madelene Sagstrom
47Gaby Lopez
48Aditi Ashok
50Jodi Ewart Shadoff

Read More:  LPGA Cover Girl Nelly Korda Reveals Her ‘Snuggle Buddy’ Days Amidst Her Imminent Comeback

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What’s at stake for the LPGA stars?

The total purse for the event is $2,200,000. The winner will pocket $330,000 prize money, which has gone up by $30,000 since last year. The total prize money is also up by $20000, which means everyone’s share will be up to a certain extent. Here is the prize money breakdown for the top 30 players.

Finishing PositionPayout
1$330,000
2$200,792
3$145,660
4$112,680
5$90,695
6$74,204
7$62,112
8$54,417
9$48,920
10$44,523
11$41,224
12$38,476
13$36,057
14$33,859
15$31,879
16$30,120
17$28,582
18$27,264
19$26,165
20$25,284
21$24,406
22$23,525
23$22,647
24$21,767
25$20,997
26$20,229
27$19,457
28$18,688
29$17,919
30$17,259

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Historically, South Koreans have enjoyed the home-field advantage and produced a leaderboard filled with Korean names. This time, as the dominant LPGA stars descend on Seoul, it’ll be interesting to watch and see if anyone can break the mold.

Watch this Story: Days After Getting Emotionally and Physically Drained, Nelly Korda Makes a Critical Career Decision