Maguire needs top six finish in Korea to keep Rookie of the Year race alive

Leona Maguire

Leona Maguire must finish in the top six in this week’s BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea if she’s to deny major winner Patty Tavatanaki the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award.

Winner of the 2021 ANA Inspiration and already the winner of the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award, Tavatanakit leads the Co Cavan star by 360 points but does not compete this week at LPGA International Busan.

Maguire needs a sixth-place finish or better at the BMW Ladies Championship to have a chance at winning the top rookie prize (see standings). If not, Tavatanakit is projected to clinch the Award.

This is the second edition of the BMW Ladies Championship at the LPGA’s first branded golf facility outside the United States.

The inaugural tournament took place in 2019, with the 2020 edition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event will host 84 of the world’s best female golfers, highlighted by Rolex Rankings No. 2 & a three-time LPGA Tour winner this season Jin Young Ko.

Ko is among six from the Rolex Rankings Top 10 in the field, with No. 3 Inbee Park, No. 4 Sei Young Kim, No. 6 Minjee Lee, No. 8 Lydia Ko and No. 10, Danielle Kang. 

Ha Na Jang is also back to defend her championship from 2019.

The top three in the Race to CME Globe standings — Nelly Korda, JIn Young Jo and Tavatanakit — are skipping the event, which features the top 50 available players ranked in order of position on the current season’s CME Globe Points List and 30 Members as selected from the KLPGA plus four sponsor’s invitations.

It’s an opportunity for fourth-ranked Lydia Ko, and 15th ranked Maguire to close the gap on the leaders and for those outside the top 60 in the standings to qualify for the CME Group Tour Championship from November 12-21 with only the Pelican Women’s Championship in Florida from November 11-14 remaining after this week.