Kim Minsol Leads, Minji Park Pushes...'KLPGA Tour First Half'

Kim Minsol Sweeps 3 Titles, Including a Major Victory

Minji Park Achieves 20 Career Wins, Tying the All-Time Record

Bunjan Becomes First Thai Champion as Foreign Players Excel

Super rookie Kim Minsol has established herself as the representative player of the first half of the 2026 season on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour. As she pushes forward at the top in multiple wins, main award points, prize money, and rookie of the year points, and challenges for a clean sweep of all major honors, milestones by veteran players and the rise of international golfers have also emerged as key topics in the first half.

According to the KLPGA on July 20, the domestic women’s professional golf tour entered a two-week break after concluding the High1 Resort Women's Open on July 12. In the 16 tournaments held in the first half, there were 12 different winners, and three players claimed multiple titles: Kim Minsol with 3 victories, Kim Hyojoo, and Seo Gyolim with 2 each. The second half of the season will begin with the Aurora World Championship held at Aurora Golf & Resort in Wonju, Gangwon Province, on July 30, with 15 events remaining.

Super rookie Kim Minsol is aiming to achieve a clean sweep of the KLGA Tour this year. Provided by KLPGA

The standout of the first half was undoubtedly Kim Minsol, born in 2006. She took the solo lead in total wins after capturing her third victory of the season at the Maccol Mona Yongpyong Open, following earlier titles at the iM Financial Open and the 40th Mercedes-Benz Korea Women's Open. She also leads in main award points (313 points), prize money (984,529,428 won), and rookie of the year points (1,596 points), and ranks second in scoring average with 70.41 strokes, just behind Park Hyunkyoung (70.35).

Kim Minsol’s strengths are her long drives and stable game management. With an average driving distance of 259 yards (2nd overall) and a greens-in-regulation rate of 76% (9th), she has demonstrated both power and precision. She is aiming to sweep all four major individual awards: Player of the Year, Money Winner, Rookie of the Year, and Scoring Average. To date, Shin Ji-ae in 2006 is the only player to have accomplished this feat on the KLPGA Tour. Kim Minsol stated, "My goal this year is to achieve a clean sweep of the KLPGA Tour major titles."

Veterans also made their presence felt. In May, Park Minji returned to the winner’s circle for the first time in about two years by winning the Sh Suhyup Bank MBN Women's Open, following her last victory at the Celltrion Queens Masters in June 2024. With this win, she became only the third player in KLPGA Tour history after the late Ku Okhee and Shin Ji-ae to reach 20 career victories. Park Minji said, "I also want to finish this season with good results."

Minji Park won the Sh Suhyup Bank MBN Women's Open, achieving her 20th career victory. Provided by KLPGA

An Songyi set a new milestone last month by becoming the first in KLPGA Tour history to play 400 events, having never once dropped down to the second-tier tour since making her debut on the regular tour in 2010. She has claimed 2 career victories, and if she makes the cut in three more events, she will also set a new record as the first player to make 300 career cuts on tour.

Some of the established stars, meanwhile, appeared to take a breather. Yoo Hyunjoo, who won both Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year last year, and Lee Yewon, who boasts 10 career wins, managed just one win each in the first half. Park Hyunkyoung, who leads in scoring average, did not clinch a title on the domestic tour but proved her competitiveness by capturing the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association (JLPGA) Tour Earth Mondamin Cup title last month.

The presence of international players has also grown noticeably. Thailand’s Zarawi Bunjan made history as the first Thai player to win on the KLPGA Tour, capturing the E1 Charity Open last month. She finished 16th in the 2024 KLPGA qualifying event and made her debut on the full tour in 2025, earning her first victory in just her second season. Other international competitors—such as fellow Thai golfer Patcharajutar Kongkraphan and China’s Li Xuying, last year’s Gwangnam Ilbo Happiness Open winner—continue to impress and are set to intensify competition in the second half.

Zarawi Bunjan became the first Thai player to win the KLPGA Tour. Photo by KLPGA

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.