Japan’s Yuri Yoshida won the 6th BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea by a single stroke, and the result was only settled on the final putt. American Andrea Lee made a hole-in-one in the second round and won a fully electric MINI Countryman SE ALL4. According to the organisers, 40,171 spectators attended the only LPGA Tour event held in South Korea.
A title decided on the last green
The sixth BMW Ladies Championship at Pine Beach Golf Links ended with a tense finish. Yuri Yoshida of Japan dropped a shot on the 18th hole, but so did Haeran Ryu of South Korea, who had led after the third round. That left the 26-year-old Yoshida one stroke ahead, and she claimed her first win on the LPGA Tour.
Yoshida finished on 271 strokes (17 under par). Four South Korean players came next. Ryu and Hye-Jin Choi shared second place on 272 (-16), and Hyo Joo Kim and Minsol Kim tied for fourth on 273 (-15).
A fast start in the final round
Yoshida began Sunday four shots behind Ryu and closed the gap quickly. She made an eagle on the second hole and three birdies soon afterwards, which put her narrowly in front. She kept that lead for the rest of the round.
Ryu had shot rounds of 67, 64 and 68 over the first three days. On a wet and difficult final day she could not keep that pace and signed for a 73 (1 over par), which opened the door for Yoshida. BMW Korea organised the tournament.
“Winning the BMW Ladies Championship is a dream come true. I’m delighted to have won this prestigious tournament and I want to carry the momentum from my first LPGA title forward. I can’t wait to be back competing next week.” – Yuri Yoshida
An ace worth an electric MINI
The standout shot of the week came in the second round. Andrea Lee, a 28-year-old American with South Korean roots, holed her tee shot on the par-3 8th hole with a 9-iron from about 112 metres (122 yards). The ace won her the Hole-in-One Award: a fully electric MINI Countryman SE ALL4.
“The ace honestly came when I least expected it. I wasn’t even looking at the car. I just wanted to hit a good shot, and somehow it went in. My caddie and I were torn between a 9-iron and a pitching wedge – luckily we made the right choice. I love my new MINI, it’s very cute.” – Andrea Lee
Two more electric cars were on offer for a hole-in-one: a BMW i7 on the 13th and a BMW iX3 on the 15th. Nobody won either of them.
Lee is the fifth player in the event’s history to win a car. Kristen Gillman was the first, at the inaugural 2019 tournament, when the first ace of her professional career earned her a BMW 740Li xDrive. In 2022, two players won cars on the same day: Na Yeon Choi (KOR) took a BMW X7 xDrive40i and Ariya Jutanugarn (THA) a BMW 740i. Last year, Lucy Li (USA) won a BMW i7 eDrive50 in the opening round.
The organiser’s view
Sangyun Han, Director and President of BMW Group Korea, congratulated the winner and thanked the host venue:
“On behalf of BMW I would like to congratulate Yuri Yoshida on winning the 2026 BMW Ladies Championship. It was a challenging task to overcome a world-class field, but Yuri demonstrated skill and dedication in an impressive fashion. It has been a thrilling week, and I would like to thank everyone at Pine Beach Golf Links. They have been wonderful hosts for the last two editions. Thank you also to all the tournament partners, supporters, volunteers, fans and everyone involved for contributing to this prestigious golf event.”
BMW’s wider role in golf
BMW has sponsored golf for almost four decades and is title partner of events on four continents. It has hosted the BMW International Open in Munich since 1989 and has supported the BMW PGA Championship in London since 2005. It also backs the BMW Australian PGA Championship, and it has been title partner of the BMW Championship in the USA since 2007. The company has run the BMW Ladies Championship since 2019, and the BMW Golf Cup amateur series since 1987.
Facts: MINI Countryman SE ALL4 (hole-in-one prize)
- Powertrain: fully electric, all-wheel drive (ALL4)
- Energy consumption (WLTP combined): 17.4–15.7 kWh/100 km
- CO2 emissions: 0 g/km (CO2 class A)
- WLTP range: 424–501 km (263–311 miles)
The BMW Ladies Championship remains the only LPGA Tour event in South Korea.
Source: www.press.bmwgroup.com