Three-Point Victory at Dongbu Construction·Korea Land Trust Championship
Birdie Barrage Pays Off in Modified Stableford Format
Bang Sinsil and Park Jooyoung Tie for Second, Moon Jeongmin Finishes Ninth
Kim Min-sol, a top rookie on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, has claimed her second victory of the season.
On October 4, at Iksan Country Club (par 72, 6,563 yards) in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, Kim Min-sol scored 16 points with eight birdies in the final fourth round of the Dongbu Construction·Korea Land Trust Championship, which had a total prize fund of 1 billion won. Kim Min-sol finished with a total of 51 points to win the tournament. This ties the tournament record for the highest points, matching the 51 points achieved by the inaugural champion Lee Jeong-min in 2021. This marks her second win of the season, following her first career victory at the BC Card·Hankyung Ladies Cup in August, where she participated as a recommended player.
Kim Minsol is smiling brightly with the trophy placed on her lap right after winning the Dongbu Construction-Korea Land Trust Championship. Photo by KLPGA
This tournament was played using a modified Stableford format. Under this system, par is worth 0 points, birdie 2 points, eagle 5 points, albatross 8 points, bogey -1 point, and double bogey or worse -3 points. Rankings are determined by the total score.
This season, Kim Min-sol became the fourth player to achieve at least two wins, following Lee Ye-won and Bang Sin-sil (each with three wins), and Hong Jeong-min (two wins). It is the first time in two years that a rookie has won twice in her debut season, the last being Bang Sin-sil in 2023. Kim Min-sol earned 100.08 million won in prize money for this victory, raising her season earnings to 304.8 million won. She also climbed to first place in the Rookie of the Year points standings.
However, since Kim Min-sol received her KLPGA Tour card in the middle of the season, even if she participates in all remaining tournaments through the season finale, she will not meet the requirement of participating in at least 50% of the season's tournaments to be eligible for major individual titles such as the Money Leader, Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, or Lowest Stroke Average. Therefore, she cannot receive these awards. However, she is eligible for the Most Wins title.
In an interview immediately after her victory, Kim Min-sol said, "I have already surpassed the goals I set at the beginning of the year. Going forward, while winning is great, I will focus more on my growth." She added, "In the remaining tournaments, I want to try various things, gain experience, and focus on improving my skills."
Bang Sin-sil and Park Joo-young tied for second place with 48 points. Hong Jin-young 2 finished fourth with 47 points, while Lee Ga-young, Park Hye-jun, and Jeon Ye-seong tied for fifth with 45 points. Kim Su-ji took eighth place with 43 points. Moon Jeong-min, who was the leader the previous day, managed only 5 points with four birdies and three bogeys, dropping to ninth place with 42 points.
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