Sei Young Kim Sets LPGA Record by Ending Winless Drought at BMW Ladies Championship

En route to her first LPGA title since 2020, the major champion never felt comfortable until the victory was finally claimed.

Sei Young Kim ended a five-year winless drought in her home country. / Bob Frid-Imagn Images

Doubt began to creep into Sei Young Kim’s mind. 

It had been five years since she won, and as she tried to end that drought at the BMW Ladies Championship in Korea, she missed a birdie putt on the first and then bogeyed No. 3. 

“I was very nervous from the very beginning,” the 32-year-old Korean said, “since it has been a while since I played in the last group, I wasn't sure whether this was real. So I really was questioning myself.”

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But it didn’t take long for Kim to find the groove she displayed all week. She birdied Nos. 5, 6 and 7 and went on to shoot a final-round 67 for her 13th LPGA victory, which she claimed by four strokes over Nasa Hataoka of Japan. 

Yet, Kim still didn’t feel comfortable until the final hole. 

Nothing like being back on top 🏆 👊 pic.twitter.com/HehpXvrWUH

— LPGA (@LPGA) October 19, 2025

“So a lot of thoughts went through my head,” Kim said, “and when one problem solved, another popped up and that continued to happen. I was leading by four shots, and I was thinking to myself, 'Oh, my God, what if I lose? This would be very embarrassing; maybe all the fans and galleries will tell me off, considering all the support I’m getting.’ So I think I was getting very energetic power to really believe in me and push myself. At the end it really was a fight against me, and I think that attitude continued throughout play all day, and I tried to solve problem by problem.”

The last time Kim entered a winner’s circle was at the Annika in 2020, shortly after winning the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. 

With her most recent triumph, Kim set an LPGA record as the 27th different winner on Tour this season. Until Jeeno Thitikul’s victory last week in China, there had not been a repeat champion this year. 

“I think it shows how strong the LPGA Tour is at the moment,” Kim said. “In the past, we normally had winners coming from top five, top top 10 now, but … you never know where we’re going to have the winner. It’s becoming like the PGA Tour, where we have so many strong, competent players on the planet.”

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