'Star Award' Golf's Future, Yang Yoon-seo: "I Want to Challenge the LPGA, KLPGA, and Olympics... I Will Become a Long-Lasting Golfer" [2026 Futures Star Awards]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Yang Yoon-seo (18, Incheon Girls' High School Affiliated Broadcasting & Correspondence High School, Samchully), a promising talent in Korean women's golf, received the Star Award in the golf category at the 2026 Futures Star Awards and reaffirmed her determination to pursue the professional circuit and the Olympics.

The ceremony for the '2026 Futures Star Awards (hosted and organized by StarNews, with support from the Korea Sports and Olympic Committee, the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, the Korea Baseball & Softball Federation, the Korea Basketball Association, the Korea Volleyball Federation, Korea Sports Leisure Co., Ltd., and Palseokmi)', now in its fifth year, was held at 3 p.m. on the 26th in the press conference room on the 19th floor of the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. In the newly established golf category this year, Yang Yoon-seo received the Star Award.

Yang Yoon-seo was active across both amateur and professional circuits throughout the year. She became the first Korean player to win the Women's Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (WAAP) in February, and she maintained her No. 1 ranking on the Korea Golf Association (KGA) women's rankings by topping the Club D Amateur Eco Championship in June.

Leveraging long drives from her 174 cm height, she also achieved results in professional tournaments. At the Mercedes-Benz 40th Korea Women's Open in June, she secured second place after a playoff against Kim Min-sol and received the Best Amateur Award. She placed fourth at the KLPGA Tour Hana Financial Group Championship in September, recording first place among amateurs in all three regular tour events she entered.

She also gained experience on overseas stages. She finished tied for 38th (tied for first among amateurs) at the Chevron Championship, a major tournament on the LPGA Tour, and passed the cut in all three majors she played, including the Amundi Evian Championship where she placed tied for 41st, and the AIG Women's Open. At the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, she placed fourth in both the individual and team events.

After the ceremony, Yang Yoon-seo said of this season, "I traveled to many tournaments in Asia and the United States as a national team member starting from last year," adding, "The environment is different from Korea, which broadened my perspective on golf. Playing alongside world-class players itself was very helpful."

She mentioned Kim Hyo-ju as a player she remembers well. Yang Yoon-seo said, "I played with Kim Hyo-ju twice at major tournaments," and added, "I didn't know much about her play before, but when I played with her, I noticed that she had many shots with clear intent, especially around the greens and when attacking the course. I felt she plays truly smart golf."

Regarding her life at her affiliated team, Samchully Academy, she said, "While training, professional senior players, executives, and coaches give me a lot of advice," adding, "In particular, Coach Gimhae-rim has been active on tour for a long time, so I learn a lot by observing his daily habits. I also want to become a consistent player."

She continued, "Amateur tournaments are not broadcast, so I couldn't see myself playing, but this year I participated in many professional tournaments, so there was a lot of game footage," and added, "It helped me to watch the videos, compare times when things went well versus poorly, and note down areas for improvement."

Having completed her schedule for this season, Yang Yoon-seo is entering winter training. She said, "Because I traveled abroad a lot, my physical training was lacking, and I realized its importance," adding, "I plan to build my stamina first with aerobic exercises like running, then move to California, United States, in January next year to practice technical aspects for two months."

Finally, Yang Yoon-seo said, "Although I couldn't win a medal at the Asian Games, which was my goal this year, participating itself was an honor," and added, "I want to keep challenging myself up to the Olympics after becoming a professional. Going forward, I will become a consistent player who stays on tour for a long time, from the KLPGA Tour to the LPGA Tour."

The Futures Star Awards, hosted and organized by StarNews, is an award established to promote the development of Korean sports and the revitalization of amateur athletics. It began in 2022 with baseball as the target sport and is now in its fifth year.

This year, a total of 10 promising talents received the honor across seven sports: baseball, soccer, basketball, volleyball, golf, skateboarding, and artistic gymnastics.

2026 Futures Star Awards Ceremony

■ Winners and Prizes (Total 10 people)

◇ Baseball

Ha Hyun-seung (18, Kiwoom Heroes 1st round pick), 3rd year at Busan High School: Prize money of 3 million won

Lee Ho-min (18, KIA Tigers 1st round pick), 3rd year at Gyeongnam High School: Prize money of 1 million won and a 1 million won gift certificate

◇ Soccer

An Ju-wan (17, Seoul E-Land FC), 2nd year at Sinpyeong High School: Prize money of 1 million won and a 1 million won gift certificate

Jung Hyun-ung (18, FC Seoul), 3rd year at Osan High School: Prize money of 1 million won and a 1 million won gift certificate

◇ Basketball

Yoon Ji-won (18), 3rd year at Gyeongbok High School: Prize money of 3 million won

Yoon Ji-hun (18), 3rd year at Gyeongbok High School: Prize money of 1 million won and a 1 million won gift certificate

◇ Volleyball

Son Seo-yeon (16), 1st year at Sunmyeong Girls' High School: Prize money of 1 million won and a 1 million won gift certificate

◇ Golf

Yang Yoon-seo (18), 3rd year at Incheon Girls' High School Affiliated Broadcasting & Correspondence High School: Prize money of 1 million won and a 1 million won gift certificate

◇ Skateboarding

Kang Jun-i (18), 3rd year at Yeongdeungpo High School: Prize money of 1 million won and a 1 million won gift certificate

◇ Artistic Gymnastics

Hwang Seo-hyeon (18), 3rd year at Incheon Sports High School: Prize money of 1 million won and a 1 million won gift certificate

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.View Original