This year's NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship offers more attractions than ever. Fans can watch world No. 3 Kim Hyo-joo play on home soil, while "fearsome eighth-grader" Kim Seo-a will showcase her power game. Lee Ye-won will aim for an unprecedented third consecutive victory at the same event.
According to the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour on Tuesday, these players will compete at the NH Investment & Securities Ladies Championship, to be held from Wednesday to Friday at the New Course (par 72) of Suwon Country Club in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. The tournament is a popular event that draws around 30,000 spectators each year. This year's total prize pool is 1 billion won ($730,000), with the winner taking home 180 million won.
The most eye-catching player is undoubtedly Kim Hyo-joo. Enjoying a second peak with two victories on the LPGA Tour this season, Kim returns to this event for the first time in seven years since 2019. With 14 career wins on the KLPGA Tour, a victory this week would mark her first trophy on Korean soil in four years and seven months, since the SK Networks-Seoul Economic Daily Ladies Classic in October 2021. "I decided to enter this tournament because it's held in the metropolitan area, and I wanted to meet more fans," she said. "My condition and shot feel are both good, so I'll focus on making the top 10."
Middle school amateur Kim Seo-a, who drew attention by hitting 300-yard drives at The Siena Open, the domestic season opener in early April, will also compete as a sponsor's invitee. She finished tied for fourth at The Siena Open, beating out more seasoned competitors. Given her young age and rapid development, attention is focused on how much further Kim has progressed in just a month.
Lee Ye-won is chasing the event's first-ever three-peat. After winning in 2024 and last year, she reached 10 career victories with her win at the Deoksin EPC Championship last month. She skipped last week's tournament to conserve energy for this event. "I have vivid memories of playing well at Suwon CC. I believe I can achieve good results if I play with confidence," she said. "I want to win this event three times in a row and also secure more than three victories this season."
Notably, starting with this tournament, NH Investment & Securities will sell on-site tickets at half price for 10,000 won to all spectators who visit using public transportation, including the Bundang Line subway's Giheung Station, or on foot, as part of its ESG initiatives. "Since this tournament attracts more than 30,000 spectators each year, we planned this to take the lead in environmental protection by encouraging the use of public transportation," an NH Investment & Securities official said.
