'The rookie is truly remarkable' — She wrote history after a full 20 years! 'Grand Prize, Money Champion, and Rookie of the Year' titles secured; the star was none other than Kim Min-sol [KLPGA]

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Women's golf "super rookie" Kim Min-sol (20, Doosan Construction) swept the Rookie of the Year, Grand Prize, and Money Champion titles on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour.

At the final round of the Daebow House D Open (total prize money 1.2 billion won), the season-ending event of the KLPGA Tour held on the 8th at the Seowon Hills South and West courses (par 72) in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Kim Min-sol recorded a 5-under-par 67 with five birdies and no bogeys.

With a final total of 8-under-par 208, Kim Min-sol climbed 10 spots from a tie for 16th the previous day to finish the tournament in a tie for sixth.

By adding 42 Grand Prize points at this event, Kim Min-sol reached a cumulative total of 567 points. She claimed her first career Grand Prize by edging out Seo Gyo-rim (20, Samchully), who had been competing fiercely for the top spot in the Grand Prize standings prior to this tournament, by just four points (563 points).

Seo Gyo-rim finished tied for 52nd with a final total of 4-over-par 220, failing to add any points and leaving her with regrets.

The Money Champion title also went to Kim Min-sol. By adding 26.62 million won in prize money from this event, she recorded a cumulative total of 1.628439428 billion won, firmly holding onto the top spot in the prize money rankings.

Kim Min-sol also wrote new history by becoming the first player in KLPGA history to surpass 1.6 billion won in prize money in a single season. Having already secured the Rookie of the Year title early on, she achieved a triple crown.

In the history of the KLPGA Tour, there had been only four previous instances where a player swept the Rookie of the Year, Grand Prize, and Money Champion titles. Following Lee Mi-na in 2002, Kim Ju-mi in 2003, Song Bo-bae in 2004, and Shin Ji-ae in 2006, Kim Min-sol became the fifth player to achieve this feat after a span of 20 years.

According to the KLPGA, Kim Min-sol said after the round, "I narrowly missed out on the Rookie of the Year award last year, so it was meaningful to secure it early this year. I would like to give myself a score of 100." She added, "The Grand Prize is an award that is harder to earn than the Money Champion title, making it even more significant. It is an honor in itself to follow in the footsteps of senior Shin Ji-ae."

In the average strokes category, Kim Min-sol recorded 70.8125 strokes, finishing second behind Seo Gyo-rim (70.6405 strokes), so a quadruple crown for rookies was narrowly missed. The Most Wins title went to Seo Gyo-rim, who secured four victories. Seo Gyo-rim also took home the Average Strokes award.

Meanwhile, Yoo Hyeon-jo (21, Lotte) lifted the championship trophy at the season-ending event on this day.

Yoo Hyeon-jo shot a 4-under-par 68 in the final round with five birdies and one bogey. With a final total of 14-under-par 202, Yoo Hyeon-jo claimed the top spot by defeating second-place Lee Ye-won (13-under-par 203) by just one stroke.

In a tense battle that continued until the final 18th hole, Lee Ye-won, who was in pursuit, settled for a par save, while Yoo Hyeon-jo calmly sank a birdie putt to secure the victory.

Yoo Hyeon-jo, who had won the DB Women's Championship in May and the HJ Heavy Industries and Dongbu Construction Championship last month, collected her third win of the season and her fifth career championship trophy with this victory. Having earned 300 million won in prize money for winning, Yoo Hyeon-jo finished the season in third place in the prize money rankings (1.18598 billion won).

In addition, Sung Yu-jin placed third (12-under-par 204), Im Hee-jeong fourth (11-under-par 205), and Han Jin-sun fifth (10-under-par 206).

The 2026 KLPGA Tour season, which saw rookie Kim Min-sol achieve the historic feat of a triple crown for the first time in 20 years, bringing about a seismic shift, drew its curtain with Yoo Hyeon-jo's victory at the final event.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original