KLPGA Tour Gets Five Years Younger... Average Age Now 23.48

Minsol Kim, 19, Secures Two Wins, Leads Teenage Sensation
Sohyun Bae, the Only Winner in Her 30s
Driving Distance and Average Prize Money Remain at Last Year's Level

The 2025 season of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour has become noticeably younger. The average age of winners has dropped by as much as 5 years (5.07 years).

The KLPGA Tour concluded its 2025 season on November 9 with the Daebo HausD Championship at Seowon Hills in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. This year, there were 31 tournaments and 23 different champions. The total prize money reached a record high of approximately 34.6 billion won. Five players achieved two or more victories. Jungmin Hong, Yewon Lee, and Shinsil Bang each secured three wins, while Jiwon Ko and Minsol Kim each recorded two wins.

19-year-old Minsol Kim created a teenage sensation this year by securing two wins. Photo by KLPGA

The most notable trend this year was the age of the winners. Players in their twenties dominated the tour. The average age was 23.48 years. The only winner in her thirties was Sohyun Bae. Born in 1993, she claimed victory at the Aurora World Ladies Championship in August, marking her fourth career win.

The KLPGA Tour was led by players in their early twenties, including Yewon Lee, Hyunjo Yoo, Shinsil Bang, Dungeun Lee, Jiwon Ko, Yumin Hwang, Yoolin Lee, and Lixuying from China. Minsol Kim, who won both the BC Card·Hankyung Ladies Cup in August and the Dongbu Construction·Korea Land & Housing Trust Championship last month, was born in 2006. At 19 years old, she spearheaded the teenage sensation this year. She started the season on the Dream (second-tier) Tour, as she did not secure a regular tour seed, but went on to win as a recommended player. She became the 13th player in history to win as a recommended or invited participant.

Last year, there were 20 champions across 31 tournaments. Yewon Lee, Jiyoung Park, Hyunkyung Park, Sohyun Bae, and Dasom Ma each claimed three wins, sharing the title of most wins. Seunghee Noh collected two victories at the 38th DB Group Korea Women's Open and the OK Savings Bank Utman Open. The average age of last year's winners was 28.55 years, showing a significant difference compared to this year. Champions ranged from Hyunjo Yoo, who was 19 at the time, to Jungmin Lee and Sohyun Bae, who were in their thirties, reflecting a relatively wide age range.

There was little difference in driving distance over the past two years. Last year, the average driving distance of the winners was 245.16 yards. The player with the longest average drive was Shinsil Bang, who boasted an impressive 258.29 yards. The runner-up was Yoonina, who is now competing on the LPGA Tour, with an average of 257.95 yards. This year, the average driving distance was 247.41 yards, an increase of 2.25 yards compared to last year. The leader in average driving distance this year was Dungeun Lee, with 259.77 yards.

So-hyun Bae is the only winner in her 30s this year. Provided by KLPGA

Prize money also remained at a similar level for two consecutive years. This year's champions earned an average of 724,516,466 won. Thanks to the increased total prize pool, Jungmin Hong took home 1,341,523,334 won, topping this category. Last year, the average prize money for winners was 723,776,785 won, a difference of 739,681 won compared to this year. Last year, Yoonina earned 1,211,415,715 won to become the prize money queen.