The former world No. 2 reminded everyone why she was once the sport’s biggest star—and what happens when doubt nearly wins.

Sei Young Kim hasn’t won an LPGA tournament since 2020. That’s 1,826 days of waiting, wondering, and questioning whether she’d ever lift another trophy. On Sunday at the BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea, she finally got her answer. Kim fired a final-round 67 to win by four strokes at 24-under, claiming her 13th career victory at Pine Beach Golf Links—in front of her family, friends, and a roaring Korean crowd that had waited just as long.

When Nerves Nearly Won

This wasn’t some stress-free stroll to victory. Kim started Sunday with a four-shot lead, then promptly three-putted for bogey on the third hole. The nerves were real. “I was very nervous from the very beginning,” Kim admitted. “I wasn’t sure whether this was real. So I really was questioning myself.” But then she remembered her father’s advice: “Don’t back off.” She rattled off four straight birdies from holes 5-9, added two more on the back nine, and never looked back.

The Peak and the Valley

Here’s what makes this comeback story sting a little: Kim was that player once. In 2019, she won three times, including the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. In 2020, she captured her only major at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and rose to No. 2 in the world. Then… nothing. Five years of silence. Five years of watching others celebrate while her confidence slowly evaporated. “I was worried this was going to get longer,” she said. “Whether it takes five years or 10 years, I just wanted to try hard.”

What It Means to Win at Home

This wasn’t just any win—it was this win. The BMW Ladies Championship in Korea. Home soil. The place where her family could finally watch her hoist a trophy again. “It took me more than 10 years to win in front of my family and friends,” Kim said, her words catching. “I really had good energy from all the fans.” That energy carried her through the nervous start and pushed her across the finish line while Nasa Hataoka (second at 20-under) made a late charge that ultimately fell short.

The Lesson in the Wait

Kim’s five-year drought taught her something most players never learn: momentum isn’t magic, it’s a decision. “Keeping on the right track is one of the biggest lessons I have learned,” she said. Now 32 and armed with that lesson, she’s eyeing more wins ahead. The drought is over. The real question is: what’s next for a player who just remembered who she is?