The world’s No. 1 female golfer is out of the picture! Unfortunate as it may seem, Nelly Korda recently announced her intention to withdraw from the 2024 BMW Ladies Championship and the next tournament because of a neck injury. But that doesn’t mean that the upcoming contest in Seowon Hills, South Korea, will have any less competition. An equally powerful field has been set in place for the LPGA Tour event.

These athletes from the strong field will also aim to take a cut of the $2.2 million prize money that has been set aside for the same. However, only one person will be able to receive both the title and the winner’s cut of the prize purse. Who might that be? Well, we have a few guesses!

Top picks for the 2024 BMW Ladies Championship

A total of 78 golfers, as per the official field of the event, will tee off at the 2024 BMW Ladies Championship on October 17, Thursday. They will duke it out alongside themselves in the no-cut event throughout 72 holes to claim the winner’s title. But the community will naturally have some favorites, be it among the 2 amateurs that will tee off, the sponsor invites, or the exempt golfers, including:

1. Minjee Lee: The 28-year-old was able to claim the title of champion at the 2023 edition of the event by carding a 16-under overall to tie with Alison Lee and then subsequently beat her in the playoffs. Although she hasn’t raked in any wins this year, the Aussie has finished 5 times inside the top 10, the best of which came at the Hana Financial Group in the Korean LPGA Tour. Moreover, with the recent form she has showcased, the golfer sure does have a good chance of defending her title at the upcoming event.

2. Haeran Ryu: The South Korean athlete boasts 10 top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour this season. But if you think we have put her on the list just because of that… well, think again! The 23-year-old also managed to clinch the title at the FM Championship, following which she placed T3 at the Kroger Queen City Championship. Impressive, isn’t it? Anyhow, underestimate her, and she might just claim her third LPGA Tour title at the 2024 BMW Ladies Championship!

3. Ayaka Furue: If you don’t consider the Japanese pro a top pick, then your list needs work. She is the only golfer, apart from Haeran Ryu, to have 10 top-10 finishes in the 2024 season on the LPGA Tour. What’s more, a win at the 2024 Amundi Evian Championship also makes her a considerable threat to anyone who wishes to win the trophy. What’s more, her recent T2 at the Fujitsu Ladies Golf Tournament on the JLPGA does paint a pretty convincing picture of her skills and gameplay.

4. Lydia Ko: Not taking into account the New Zealand golfer would be plain wrong. She had clinched the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics to enter the Hall of Fame before raking in two more wins at the AIG Women’s Open and the Kroger Queen City Championship. The last two victories, including a win at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at the start of 2024 pushed her total number of top-10 placements to 7, making her one of the most successful golfers this season. She would very well be aiming for a fourth triumph this season at the BMW Ladies Championship.

5. Ruoning Yin: 25-under par overall and a cut of $315,000. Confused as to what these mean? Well, these are but the numbers that the Chinese professional golfer raked in at the recently ended Buick LPGA Shangai when she emerged victorious. This pushed her top-10 placements this year to a figure of 5 while allowing her to card her second win of the season, the first of which she clinched at the DoW championship with Atthaya ‘Jeeno’ Thitikul. With her current form, the golfer is more than capable of claiming another win at the BMW Ladies Championship that will kick off at Seowon Hills.

South Korea’s test for the LPGA Tour

Dubbed “One of Korea’s top-10 golf courses,” the Seowon Hills course at Seowon Valley Country Club was opened back in 2004 and boasts a par-72 layout. The club, meanwhile, consists of a total of 45 holes, which are distributed over a land that is 1 million pyeong (3,300,000㎡) in size. And out of the 45 holes, 18 of them are set aside for premium members where the BMW Ladies Championship will be played, while the rest, 27, are set aside for the public.

The remarkable 6,666-yard golf course, coupled with the scintillating line-up, is sure to produce an exciting weekend in South Korea. The reason? Because there is every chance for the golfers in this list to emerge triumphant at the 2024 BMW Ladies Championship, owing to their recent form. Everything aside, who do you think would win the tournament?