Amateur recruit Kim Min-sol, signed in 2023, emerges as top player of the season
Doosan Engineering & Construction's We've golf team has produced a triple crown winner on the KLPGA Tour in just its fourth year, marking a milestone in the team's player development program.
Doosan E&C said Tuesday that signing amateur prospect Kim Min-sol when the team was founded in 2023 and supporting her transition to professional play and adjustment to the regular tour had paid off with a sweep of the season's grand prize, prize money title and rookie of the year award.
Kim claimed her first win of the season at the iM Financial Open in April, then captured her first career major at the 40th Mercedes-Benz Korea Women's Open in June, finishing the season with three victories. At the season-ending Daebo Housedi Championship, which concluded Sunday, she tied for sixth place to secure 567 grand prize points — edging out Seo Gyo-rim by four points to complete the triple crown.
Kim did not miss a single cut across 25 tournaments this season, recording 11 top-10 finishes including her three wins. Her season earnings of approximately 1.63 billion won ($1.2 million) broke the 1.6 billion won single-season earnings record on the KLPGA Tour — the first time any player has surpassed that mark — setting a new all-time high. A rookie sweeping the grand prize, prize money title and rookie of the year award had not happened since Shin Ji-yai in 2006, a gap of 20 years.
The Doosan E&C golf team also had a strong 2025 season, with Park Hye-jun, Kim Min-sol and Lee Yul-lin each claiming their first career victories. The team has been a secondary sponsor of Shin Ji-yai since last year, giving it a connection to both players who won the rookie triple crown 20 years apart. Last month, Shin met with Kim to share advice and experience from her playing career.
"I am truly happy and honored to have won the grand prize, prize money title and rookie of the year award on top of my first career major," Kim said. "I believe this achievement was made possible by Doosan Engineering & Construction, who believed in and supported me since my amateur days, as well as my teammates and fans."
A Doosan E&C official said it was meaningful to see Kim, a founding member of the team, achieve the triple crown. "We will continue to support our players so they can realize their potential in a stable environment," the official said.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
