Previewing the BMW — Ruoning Yin, hometown hero
The IX: Golf Thursday with Marin Dremock, Oct. 17, 2024
Hey golf fans, and welcome back to Golf Thursday! Next up, the LPGA makes its second stop on their Asia tour for the BMW Ladies Championship at Seowon Valley Country Club in the Republic of Korea.
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The field boasts two past champions in Minjee Lee (2023) and Lydia Ko (2022) and a slew of 2024 LPGA Tour winners. Seventeen of the 18 golfers who won on tour this year are competing this week.
But let’s look back at Minjee Lee’s victory last year at Seowon Valley Country Club. With a birdie on the first playoff hole, she defeated Allison Lee to crown herself victorious. Three of the four past tournament champions have claimed their victories in playoffs.
M. Lee and A. Lee’s dramatic showdown last year ended with both of them claiming the 72-hole tournament scoring record at Seowon Valley with totals of 272 (-16).
Minjee’s disappointing finish at Lancaster Country Club at this year’s U.S. Women’s Open should be a good motivator to get her back into the winner’s circle. She certainly has the capability to post low numbers, and coming into the tournament as the defending champion gives her an edge. It also might put some pressure on Lee, but she can use this pressure to her advantage and channel those nerves.
The 72-hole tournament scoring record for the entire championship belongs to Jin Young Ko and Hee Jeong Lim from back in 2021; they shot four-round totals of 266 (-22) at LPGA International Busan. Ko went on to defeat Lim in a playoff to win the tournament.
And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the 2022 winner, none other than Lydia Ko. Posting a final-round 65 (-7), Ko claimed her 18th tour title at Oak Valley Country Club, not far from her birthplace of Seoul.
After she won, L. Ko expressed how special it was to win in Korea. “I feel so proud to be born in Korea,” she said in 2022. “It’s not only just a place that I’m born, but a lot of my family is still here. This week my relatives are here, my direct family is here and I wanted to win it for them as well. To be able to do that this year in front of a lot of them, it means a lot.”
2021 champion and Korean player J.Y. Ko also voiced the importance of this event.
This event carries so much more weight for these two Korean-born players as past champions. With J.Y. Ko not in the field for the BMW this year, the tournament carries even more weight for L. Ko, who is already having a beast of a season.
Lydia is seeking her fourth win on tour, following victories at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, AIG Women’s Open and Kroger Queen City Championship. I also wonder if she’s still carrying that Olympic gold medal in her backpack. Probably not.
With a win at Seowon Valley, Ko could creep just a tad closer to Nelly Korda in the Race to the CME Globe Points standings. She currently trails Korda by about 1,200 points.
This week in Korea is bound to be a showdown.
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Five at The IX: Shanghai native Ruoning Yin wins the Buick LPGA
On Sunday, Oct. 13, Ruoning Yin wowed home crowds as she won the Buick LPGA Shanghai, posting a four-round total of 25-under par, six strokes ahead of Mao Saigo and Sei Young Kim. In the process, Yin demolished the 72-hole tournament scoring record, held by Danielle Kang since 2019. Here’s what the first player from the People’s Republic of China to win the tournament and second player to win in her hometown this year had to say following the final round.
THE MODERATOR: All right, here with Ronni after her win here at the Buick LPGA Shanghai. Ronni, just kind of put into words this week, this moment, to win in your home country. How do you feel right now?
RUONING YIN: Pretty amazing and just, like I said, able to win at home in front of all the family and friends, it’s just amazing. It’s phenomenal to be able to do that. It’s a pleasant week.
Q. You dominated this course the last two rounds. What was working so well for you? I know you said your coach was here. He helped you fix some of your problems. What was working so well for you this week?
RUONING YIN: Yeah, so the first day my tee shot wasn’t very good. Just I had a call with my coach, Holton Freeman. He’s in LA right now. He fixed my tee shot, so I think this course especially I’m feeling good with my iron shots right now.
If I can put my ball on the fairway it’s just going to make easier for myself. So I think I just putted really well and my approach shot is pretty good and tee shot is really good.
I pieced everything together.
Q. We saw the crowds this whole week, especially the crowd this last round. Just talk about the fan support you’ve got here and how great it is to see golf get this crowd in this stage in China especially.
RUONING YIN: It gives me goosebumps when I think about it right now. I mean, all the fans, the energy, it’s just phenomenal. I can hear people shouting my name and rooting for me.
I think I’m just really happy that I put on a show and that everybody enjoys it.
Q. How does winning at home compare to winning a major title?
RUONING YIN: I would say — I’m not answering this question. I would say it’s same. I love to win major and I just love to win at home as well. Just all the crowds, all the fans, all my family, words can’t express my feelings right now.
Q. And then obviously great start here for the first leg of the fall Asia Swing. What will you take away from this week heading to Korea next week?
RUONING YIN: I mean, from this week I think I solved my big problem which is the tee shot. My iron shot, my iron game and the putting, I think it’s quite on spot right now, so I’m really look forward to the next two weeks and the CME.
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