Tournament to be played in modified Stableford format
The KLPGA Tour's 2026 HJ Shipbuilding & Construction Dongbu Championship will be held from Oct. 8 through Oct. 11 at A-One Country Club in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province.
Co-hosted by HJ Shipbuilding & Construction and Dongbu Construction, the tournament will feature 108 players competing for a total purse of 1 billion won ($738,000), with the winner taking home 180 million won. This year marks HJ Shipbuilding & Construction's debut as a co-host, and the venue has also moved to A-One Country Club.
The competition will be played over four rounds and 72 holes in a modified Stableford format, in which each hole's result is converted into points and rankings are determined by total score. A birdie earns two points and an eagle five. Because aggressive play can yield large point gains at once, the format tends to produce more dramatic leaderboard swings than standard stroke play.
The top 15 players in the KLPGA Tour money rankings at the conclusion of the tournament will earn spots in the LPGA Tour's BMW Ladies Championship.
Players affiliated with the co-hosting companies will also be in contention. Dongbu Construction's contingent includes Kim Su-ji, Ji Han-sol, Jang Su-yeon and Moon Jeong-min.
HJ Shipbuilding & Construction will field 2019 rookie of the year Cho A-yeon, 2025 money-list champion Hong Jeong-min and Dream Tour standout Kim Min-seo 3. The company formed its women's golf team after acquiring Korea Real Estate Investment & Trust's golf division in July, bringing together Park Ji-young, Hong, Cho, Kim Min-seo 3 and amateur Park Seo-jin — five players in all.
"This year we welcome HJ Shipbuilding & Construction as a co-sponsor and move to a new venue, giving fans a fresh experience," a tournament official said. "The bold play and unpredictable outcomes that the new stage will inspire are sure to deliver an even more thrilling experience for golf fans."
yjc@heraldcorp.com
