Major champions, local stars to tee off at LPGA tournament in Korea

Ko Jin-young of Korea plays a shot during the first round of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G at Pinnacle Country Club, Sept. 19, in Rogers, Arkansas. AFP-Yonhap

Four of the five major champions this season will be joined by local favorites when the LPGA Tour arrives in Korea later this month.

Organizers of the BMW Ladies Championship, scheduled for Oct. 16 to 19 at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul, announced the field of the lone LPGA tournament in the country Wednesday.

U.S. Women's Open champion Maja Stark, KPMG Women's PGA Championship winner Minjee Lee, Amundi Evian Championship winner Grace Kim and AIG Women's Open champ Miyu Yamashita will be in action.

Of the quartet, Lee and Kim are Australians of Korean descent. Lee won the 2023 BMW Ladies Championship.

Among Korean stars, the 2021 champion Ko Jin-young will play alongside Kim Hyo-joo, the top-ranked Korean player at No. 9; the 2023 LPGA Rookie of the Year Ryu Hae-ran; and former U.S. Women's Open winner Kim A-lim.

Former major champions Chun In-gee and Park Sung-hyun, both of whom have battled injuries in recent years, received special invitations to the tournament.

The 72-hole tournament will offer a total purse of $2.2 million, with the winner taking home $330,000.

The LPGA and BMW Korea have been taking the tournament around the country since the southeastern city of Busan hosted the first two editions in 2019 and 2021 -- with the 2020 event canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This will be the first edition held at Pine Beach Golf Links, which features several greens and tee boxes sitting along the beach and atop seaside cliffs. It has long been regarded as one of the best courses in Korea thanks to its scenic backdrop and challenges it presents with sloping fairways and intimidating bunkers.

BMW Korea has extended its partnership with the LPGA to host its namesake tournament in Korea through 2029.