BMW Ladies Championship to kick off in Paju

[Anchor]

The only LPGA Tour event in Korea, the BMW Ladies Championship, will kick off tomorrow in Paju.

A three-way battle is expected between Lydia Ko, who won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, last year's champion Minjee Lee, and rookie of the year Yoo Hae-ran.

Reporter Son Ki-seong has more.

[Report]

Lydia Ko, the golf prodigy who has collected gold, silver, and bronze medals at the Paris Olympics.

In August, she also won the AIG Women's Open, becoming the protagonist of a fairy tale story.

Lydia, who says she gains strength every time she comes to Korea, is aiming for her second victory following 2022.

[Lydia Ko/Hana Financial Group: "Since I don't have more than 10 years left until retirement, I think I have a goal to enjoy the competitive environment and play my best golf."]

The player expected to challenge Lydia Ko is Minjee Lee, last year's champion of this tournament.

Minjee, who possesses both distance and precision, praised the rising Lydia Ko while not hiding her desire to win.

[Minjee Lee/Hana Financial Group: "Lydia Ko has shown incredible skill in the second half of this year, and China's Yin Ruoning also won last week, so the competition is tough. I also want to have a pleasant weekend."]

Yoo Hae-ran, the LPGA rookie of the year who is grouped with Lydia Ko and Minjee Lee, has also hinted at a fierce shot contest.

Fans' expectations are growing for the four-day golf feast featuring 78 of the world's top female golfers.

This is KBS News, Son Ki-seong.