‘Rim-Sol Showdown Decides the Ultimate Champion’ Seo Gyo-rim vs. Kim Min-sol: The Final Queen of the 2026 Season to Be Crowned at the Daebon House D Championship [KLPGA]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The final stage of the 2026 Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour will feature a decisive showdown for the ultimate title between same-year rivals born in 2006, Seo Gyo-rim (20, Samchully) and Kim Min-sol (20, Doosan Construction We’ve).

The season-ending event of the KLPGA Tour, the ‘Daebon House D Championship’ (total prize money of 1.2 billion won, winner’s share of 300 million won), will be held over three days from the 6th to the 8th at Seowon Hills (Par 72, 6,649 yards) at Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.

Now in its sixth edition, the tournament has expanded its scale by increasing the prize money by 200 million won. It will be contested with a ‘limited field’ of only 60 players, applying the same winner’s share rate (25%) and Player of the Year point allocation as major championships. With defending champion Hwang Yu-min (23, Lotte) absent due to LPGA tournament participation, all major titles—including Player of the Year, Money Champion, Most Wins, and Lowest Average Score—will be decided at this final event, excluding the Rookie of the Year award which has already been secured by Kim Min-sol.

The most anticipated focal point is undoubtedly the intense title race between Seo Gyo-rim and Kim Min-sol. Seo Gyo-rim, who has four wins this season, currently leads in Welcome Savings Bank Player of the Year points (563 points), ranks second in prize money (approximately 1.41321 billion won), and leads in lowest average score (70.6405 strokes). She aims for a sweep of all titles at this tournament. If Seo Gyo-rim finishes in the top 10, she will secure the Player of the Year award unless Kim Min-sol wins. Should Seo Gyo-rim win and Kim Min-sol finish second or lower individually, Seo Gyo-rim would sweep four titles: Player of the Year, Money Champion, Most Wins, and Lowest Average Score.

Seo Gyo-rim, who has recovered from injury, stated, “I have combined recovery exercises with practice over the past week and am in much better condition. The title race with Kim Min-sol is fierce, which is stressful, and naturally I am eager to win.” She added, “Since everything is on the line at this final tournament, I will focus even more. In particular, I will definitely defend my position as the Player of the Year, an award given to the most consistent player throughout the season.”

Kim Min-sol, who faces this challenge, is also on a fierce run. With three wins this season, Kim Min-sol has become the first player in KLPGA history to surpass 1.6 billion won (1.60018 billion won) in prize money in a single season, currently leading the money list. She trails Seo Gyo-rim closely in second place for Player of the Year points (525 points). If Kim Min-sol claims the top spot at this tournament, she will overtake Seo Gyo-rim to win the Player of the Year award and also share the Most Wins title. If Seo Gyo-rim fails to finish in the top 10, Kim Min-sol can reverse the Player of the Year race with a finish of seventh place or higher (tied).

Kim Min-sol, aiming for a comeback, said, “It is the end of the season, so I am feeling some fatigue, but my condition and feel for the shots are not bad.” She continued, “I worked hard this year, and thankfully the results have followed. I want to focus on my play until the very end and finish without regret. If I do my best, the titles and results will naturally follow,” calmly reaffirming her determination.

Beyond the ‘Rim-Sol Showdown,’ challenges for historic records continue. Lee Ye-won (23, Medihl), who won last week’s ‘S-OIL Championship’ to surpass 5 billion won in career total prize money on the regular tour, is challenging for the KLPGA’s first-ever record of ‘three wins in a season for four consecutive years.’ Only four players in history have achieved three wins in a season for three consecutive years: the late Koo Ok-hee, Kim Mi-hyun, Shin Ji-ae, and Lee Ye-won. Lee Ye-won declared, “Since my momentum is good, I believe that if I focus on what I need to do, the record will follow. I will focus as much as possible on my second shots to attack the difficult greens at Seowon Hills.”

Additionally, there is interest in whether a record-high number of ‘five players surpassing 1 billion won in prize money in a single season’ will be born. Currently, Kim Min-sol, Seo Gyo-rim, and Kim Min-seon7 (23, Daebang Construction) have crossed the 1 billion won mark, while Lee Ye-won (934.06 million won) and Yoo Hyeon-jo (885.98 million won) aim to join the 1 billion won club depending on their performance at this tournament.

Meanwhile, the organizer, Daebon Group, plans to add meaning to the event by running a charity event where 100,000 won is accumulated for each ball landing in the fairway on the 15th hole (House D Zone) and the 9th hole (Stepping Stone Zone), which will be donated to Human Aid and the Stepping Stone Foundation. The tournament will be broadcast live on SBS Golf and Wavve.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original