Seo leads with 4 wins, Kim close behind with 3 as pair battle for second major title of season

LPGA major winner Ryu Hae-ran returns to KLPGA Tour for first time in over two years

Seo Gyorim (left) and Kim Minsol, competing to win two majors in a single season [KLPGA]
Seo Gyorim (left) and Kim Minsol, competing to win two majors in a single season [KLPGA]

Seo Gyorim and Kim Minsol — born the same year in 2006 and the two players who have defined the KLPGA Tour this season — will meet again at the season's final major.

The 26th Hite Jinro Championship tees off Thursday at Blue Heron Golf Club's East and West courses (par 72, 6,865 yards) in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, running for four days. The 25th and final major of the season carries a total purse of 1.5 billion won ($1.1 million), with a winner's share of 270 million won. A field of 108 players will compete.

The central storyline is the race between Seo and Kim to claim a second major title this season. Seo, who leads the tour with four wins, took the KLPGA Championship in August, while Kim, with three victories, won the Korea Women's Open in June. The third major of the season, the KB Financial Group Golden Life Championship, went to Park Bo-gyeom, meaning no player has yet won multiple majors this year. The last player to win two majors in a single season was Park Min-ji in 2022.

The prize money and player-of-the-year races are equally tight. Seo tops the earnings list at 1.4 billion won, with Kim just behind at 1.39 billion won. Seo also leads the player-of-the-year points standings with 563 points, ahead of Kim's 436. A win or a solo second-place finish for either player would surpass Park Min-ji's all-time single-season earnings record of 1.52 billion won, set in 2021. Even a shared second-place finish would break the record. Should Kim win, she would also become the first rookie in KLPGA Tour history to record four victories in a debut season.

The demanding Blue Heron layout will be the ultimate test. This year, organizers have narrowed the fairway landing zones to between 18 and 20 meters — tighter than last year — and set the first cut of rough at 35 millimeters and the second cut at 100 to 120 millimeters. Accurate, strategic tee shots will be at a premium, and holes 15 through 18 — known as "Heron's Pick" — are expected to decide the back-nine battle.

Ryu Hae-ran, a two-time LPGA major champion [KLPGA]
Ryu Hae-ran, a two-time LPGA major champion [KLPGA]

Defending champion Sung Yu-jin will look to retain her title. Sung finished tied with Noh Seung-hee at 10-under-par 278 last year before prevailing in a playoff. She has been recovering from a recent injury and working to sharpen her form and shot-making ahead of the event. Kim Min-sun7, who claimed her second win of the season at the Hana Financial Group Championship last week, will be chasing back-to-back titles.

Ryu Hae-ran's entry adds another layer of intrigue. Ryu, who won two LPGA Tour majors this year — the KPMG Women's PGA Championship and the Amundi Evian Championship — is making her first KLPGA Tour appearance in two years and two months, since the Jeju Samdasoo Masters in August 2024.

Several players are chasing historic milestones as well. A victory for Lee Da-yeon would make her the first player in KLPGA Tour history to win four different major titles, adding to her Korea Women's Open (2019), Hanwha Classic (2021) and KLPGA Championship (2023) crowns. Kim Su-ji, who won the Hite Jinro Championship in 2021 and 2024, is bidding for a third title at the event.

Park Min-ji, Bang Shin-sil, Lee Ye-won, Choi Ye-rim, Ko Ji-woo, Jang Eun-su, Kim Min-byeol and Park Sung-hyun are also in the field, all vying for the final major trophy of the season.


yjc@heraldcorp.com