Kim Min-sol, a 2006-born "super rookie," won the Korea Women's Open (total purse 1.5 billion won), the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour's first major of the season and a national title event.
Kim shot a 1-under-par 70 with two birdies and one bogey in the final round of the Mercedes-Benz 40th Korea Women's Open Golf Championship, held Saturday at the Mountain and Forest courses (par 71) of Lakewood Country Club in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province. Finishing at 4-under-par 280, Kim edged 2008-born amateur Yang Yoon-seo (3-under-par), who was selected for the women's national golf team for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, by one stroke to lift the championship trophy.
The victory marked Kim's second win of the season after the iM Financial Open in April this year, and her fourth career title. Adding the 400 million won winner's prize, Kim accumulated 770 million won in season earnings, rising to No. 1 in the money ranking and No. 1 in the player-of-the-year points race, while firmly holding the top spot in the Rookie of the Year race. She also secured entries to the AIG Women's Open, a major on the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour, and the Japan Women's Open Championship, Japan's national title event.
The final round played out as a fierce head-to-head between Kim and Yang. Starting in the final group tied for the lead with Yang, Kim made her first birdie on the par-3 2nd hole and then continued a string of pars. Yang reduced one stroke on the front nine with three birdies and two bogeys, maintaining a share of the lead at the turn.
The contest split open on the back nine. Yang made a bogey on the par-4 10th hole, putting Kim alone in front by one stroke, and play was suspended for 2 hours and 55 minutes during the 12th hole due to a lightning forecast. After play resumed, Yang dropped one stroke on the par-5 14th hole, widening the gap with Kim to two strokes.
Kim moved within reach of victory by sinking a birdie putt of more than 6 meters on the par-4 15th hole. Yang revived her chase with a birdie on the par-3 17th hole, but Kim secured the win by preserving her one-stroke lead even after carding a bogey on the final par-4 18th hole.
Noh Seung-hee and Kim Min-sun tied for third at 1-over-par 285. Shin Ji-yai, who competed in the Korea Women's Open for the first time in 18 years, finished tied for seventh (3-over-par), while Park Min-ji finished tied for 22nd (6-over-par).
Meanwhile, second-year player Han A-reum was disqualified for a rules violation after she continued putting on the 18th green even after the horn signaling the suspension of play due to the lightning forecast had sounded. Han, who had been tied for 22nd through the 17th hole, will not receive the roughly 16 million won prize corresponding to 22nd place because of the disqualification.
