It was a really close week at the Buick LPGA Shanghai, as last week’s preview featured Mao Saigo, Jeeno Thitikul and Sei Young Kim, all of whom finished in the top five and had a chance to win until the final nine on Sunday. That’s when Ruoning Yin went low and fired a 6-under 30 to ultimately lap the field by six shots. Yin’s victory in her home country was well-supported and reminds us that playing in front of a home crowd can be a big advantage.

Twenty women from the Republic of Korea will compete in the BMW Ladies Championship just north of Seoul. The local fans will surely be behind them as they try to capture what could be considered the equivalent of the Superbowl of women’s golf in their country. This is the fifth edition of the BMW Ladies Championship and is the first time it will be held at the same venue in the Republic of Korea. Seowon Valley Country Club is set in the hills just northwest of downtown Seoul. Carrying a city population of nearly 10 million, expect to see large crowds out supporting the players once again this week.

The par-72 layout covers varied terrain for 6,680 yards. Fifty-five bunkers are set across the landscape, and seven holes have water in play. Speaking of water, the forecast for this Friday looks quite wet, with over an inch of rain predicted to fall. The rain is expected most of the day, so it may interfere with tournament play. After all of that rain, the course should soften up and be prime for scoring. Minjee Lee won in a playoff one year ago over Alison Lee at 16-under. If the course conditions become more receptive, that winning score could go even lower.

When you compare season-long scoring average to birdie or better percentage, it provides a good idea of who in the 78-player field can go low. Only Lydia Ko had four rounds in the 60s last year, a trend that might be broken considering this year’s conditions. Four low-scoring athletes to watch are Thitikul, Haeran Ryu, Sei Young Kim and Hannah Green. Thitikul is especially interesting as she is coming off four straight top-seven finishes.

Another key to success at the Seowon Hills Course is accuracy. The top 10 from a year ago hit 87 percent of their greens in regulation and fairways on average. Who can repeat that level of precision? Ayaka Furue is ranked in the top seven in greens in regulation and fairways hit on Tour. Last week’s runner-up Mao Saigo and two-time LPGA Tour winner Lauren Coughlin are also capable of contending due to their ball-striking capabilities. Saigo has been hot recently, as she has earned three top-20 results in her last four starts.

You should also be looking back at last year’s winner, Minjee Lee. Lee is currently first on Tour in strokes gained tee to green and has been one of the LPGA Tour’s best ball strikers for some time. Believe it or not, she won the BMW Ladies Championship a year ago and lost strokes on the greens. That’s another trend that shouldn’t continue.

The remaining players in the top 10 last year at Seowon Valley Country Club gained an average of four strokes on the field with their flatstick. When picking a winner this week, the putter will be an important influence. Furue, Green, Thitikul and Lydia Ko lead the way when it comes to putting.

Ko, in particular, is really attention-catching. She won the BMW Ladies Championship in 2022, tied for third in 2021 and finished solo third in 2023. That’s three straight starts inside the top three. That stretch sounds like her recent run after she took home the Olympic gold medal in August. Following her performance at the Paris Games, she won the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews and the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G in Ohio, an impressive three wins in four starts. Ko’s chances have to be good on a course that favors accuracy and scoring.

The BMW Ladies Championship is just another of BMW’s elite events. They host their tournaments at great venues, which create competitive championships. Who do you think will win this week? Jot down a couple of names and track their progress. Let’s try to get one place closer than last week with two runners-up. Do we have the players who can do it? Enjoy staying up late to watch!

Keith Stewart is an award-winning PGA Professional. He covers the LPGA and PGA TOUR for Golf Digest, SportsGrid, The Sporting News, LPGA, and PGA TOUR. If you are looking to raise your golf acumen and love inside information about the game, check out his weekly newsletter called Read The Line.

Who is the Best Bet to Win the BMW Ladies Championship?

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