+++ Lydia Ko posts an excellent final round (-7) to defeat a world-class field +++ 81,675 fans in attendance at the BMW Ladies Championship 2022 +++ Weekend becomes a festival of holes-in-one +++
Munich/Wonju. New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, who was born in South Korea, celebrated an emotional victory in the BMW Ladies Championship at the Oak Valley Country Club (Wonju, South Korea). The 25-year-old produced rounds of 68, 68, 66 and 65 for a total score of 267 (21 under par) on Sunday, to finish well ahead of a world-class field that had stayed tight at the top for the first three rounds. Having become the youngest number one of all time in the history of the golf world rankings at just 17 years of age in 2015, Ko moved into the lead in the season’s standings, the “Race to the CME Globe”, with her 18th title on the LPGA Tour.
“It means a lot to win the BMW Ladies Championship here in Korea, the place that I was born,” said Ko after her first tournament win in South Korea. “I don’t think I could be here without my team, my sponsors and the fans. Some of the fans walked all 72 holes with me and what I really love is that they supported each and every one of us. That’s why all of us love coming here. This is one of greatest stops on the LPGA Tour. Many thanks to BMW and all the sponsors for this stellar event.”
The world-class field at the BMW Ladies Championship – including seven players from the top 10 in the world rankings – stayed very close together for the first three rounds. However, Ko proved unstoppable on Sunday, producing an outstanding performance with eight birdies and just one bogey.
Andrea Lee (USA, -17) was four strokes behind in second place, followed by Hye-Jin Choi, Hyo Joo Kim (both KOR) and Lilia Vu (USA, all -16). Kim may just have missed out on the win, but the 27-year-old enjoyed the support of numerous fans, friends and family members throughout the week: it was a true home event for the player tenth in the world rankings, who hails from the region.
“I would like to congratulate Lydia Ko on winning the 2022 BMW Ladies Championship. She gave an outstanding performance to beat a world-class field and is a well-deserved champion,” said Sangyun Han, Director and President of BMW Group Korea. “It has been a fantastic week with many highlights, including all three hole-in-ones we had this week. A big thank you to all the tournament partners, the supporters, volunteers and the Oak Valley Country Club for making this event successful.”
A total of 81,675 spectators attended an unparalleled BMW Ladies Championship, with the third round featuring a first in the 33-history of the BMW Group as partner of international golfsport: two hole-in-one prizes were claimed on the same day for the first time. Na Yeon Choi from South Korea aced the 12th hole and was rewarded with a BMW X7 xDrive40i (fuel consumption, combined: 10.6 – 9.6 l/100 km (WLTP); – (NEDC); CO2 emissions, combined: 240 – 217 g/km (WLTP); – (NEDC)). Ariya Jutanugarn repeated the feat a short time later at the 17th hole. The Thai golfer won a BMW 740i (not available in Europe; fuel consumption, combined: 8.0 – 7.0 l/100 km (WLTP); – (NEDC); CO2 emissions, combined: 183 – 159 g/km (WLTP); – (NEDC)).
The BMW X7 was also a farewell gift for the 34-year-old Na Yeon Choi. The winner of the 2012 U.S. Women’s Open has announced that she is leaving the LPGA Tour after a successful career. In winning the Hole-in-One Award, she gave her home crowds another highlight to celebrate.
These did not prove to be the final aces. On the final round, Hinako Shibuno from Japan holed out in one shot on the 7th. Another noteworthy story was provided by 16-year-old amateur Minsol Kim (-10) from South Korea, who held her own at the top for some time in front of her home fans, finishing the tournament with by sharing an excellent 10th place.
BMW 740i (not available in Europe). Fuel consumption, combined in WLTP cycle: 8.0 – 7.0 l/100 km (35.3 – 40.4 mpg imp),CO2 emissions combined in WLTP cycle: 183 – 159 g/kmBMW X7 xDrive40i.Fuel consumption, combined: 10.6 – 9.6 l/100 km(26.6 – 29.4 mpg imp) (WLTP); – (NEDC);CO2 emissions, combined: 240 – 217 g/km (WLTP); – (NEDC)