The 34.7 Billion Won "War of Money": The Field Heats Up

The field is heating up. The 34.7 billion won "war of money" has begun.

The Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour kicked off its 2026 season on March 12 with the Rejuran Championship (total prize money: 1.2 billion won) at Amata Spring Country Club (par 72) in Chonburi, Thailand. The KLPGA Tour will embark on a grand journey of 31 tournaments over approximately eight months, culminating with the Daebo HausD Championship (total prize money: 1 billion won) in November.

This season, the KLPGA Tour unfolds as the largest "money feast" in its history. Despite the economic downturn, the number of tournaments remains unchanged from last year at 31, with total prize money reaching 34.7 billion won. According to the KLPGA Tour, "The average prize money per regular tour event is about 1.12 billion won, the largest ever," adding, "The total prize money has also increased by about 100 million won compared to last year (34.6 billion won)." Notably, for the first time ever, every tournament this season offers prize money of at least 1 billion won. Some sponsors are even considering additional increases, meaning the total prize pool could grow further.

The number of tournaments with prize money of 1.5 billion won has also increased. There are five such tournaments: the Celltrion Queens Masters, the BC Card·Hankyung 48th KLPGA Championship, the Hana Financial Group Championship, the 26th Hite Jinro Championship, and the KB Financial Golden Life Championship. Four new tournaments have been added to the schedule this season: the overseas opener Rejuran Championship, the domestic opener The Siena Open (total prize money: 1 billion won), the DB Women's Championship (1.2 billion won), and another new tournament with prize money of 1.2 billion won.

Some tournaments have also increased their prize money. The Nexen·Saintnine Masters raised its total prize money from 900 million won last year to 1 billion won, while the Celltrion Queens Masters increased by 300 million won from 1.2 billion won to 1.5 billion won. Kim Sangyeol, President of the KLPGA, said, "I am grateful to everyone who has contributed to the development of women's golf in Korea," and pledged, "We will do our best to operate the tour so that players can showcase their talents in optimal conditions."

The lineup of players is just as impressive. While "Attack Leader" Hwang Yumin and "Long-Drive Queen" Lee Dong-eun have moved to the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour, it is assessed that their departures have not created a significant power gap. Ye-won Lee, Hyun-Kyung Park, Hong Jeongmin, and Yoo Hyeonjo are expected to vie for dominance this season. Additionally, Bang Shinsil, Noh Seunghee, Lee Dayeon, Lim Heejeong, Ko Jiweon, and Bae Sohyun are also targeting the top spots.

Ye-won Lee, Rookie of the Year in 2022, has accumulated nine career victories by winning three tournaments each season for the past three years. In 2023, she swept the Player of the Year, Money Leader, and Lowest Stroke Average awards, establishing herself as a leading figure on the tour. She claimed the most wins for two consecutive years in 2024 and 2025. Her strengths are her stable gameplay and strong mentality. With one more victory this year, she will reach the milestone of 10 career wins.

"Cutieful" Hyun-Kyung Park is also a strong contender for the title. She has recorded eight career wins on the KLPGA Tour, including two major victories. Her precise iron play is considered her biggest strength. Ahead of this season, she focused on improving her shot accuracy during off-season training in Portugal. Park said, "I will focus on refining my iron shots to maximize my strengths."

Hong Jeongmin had the best season of her career last year. She earned 1,341,523,334 won in prize money to become the Money Leader and recorded three victories, including one major, to share the Most Wins title. This season, she focused on driver training to increase her fairway hit rate. Hong said, "I've been looking forward to the 2026 season," and added, "I want to continue the positive momentum from last year."

Yoo Hyeonjo, who won both the Player of the Year and Lowest Stroke Average awards last year, is aiming to defend her titles for a second consecutive year. After winning Rookie of the Year in 2024 and then the Player of the Year, she became the seventh player in KLPGA Tour history to achieve this feat. Yoo is known for her fierce competitive spirit, as shown by her back-to-back victories at the major KB Financial Star Championship. Last year, she finished in the top 10 nineteen times and was the only player to maintain an average score in the 60s (69.93). After focusing on physical training and short game improvement in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Yoo expressed confidence, saying, "My goal this year is to lead the tour in most wins."

The Rookie of the Year race is also drawing attention. Kim Minsol is considered the leading candidate. Last year, she won two regular tour events but did not qualify for Rookie of the Year due to insufficient tournament appearances. Yang Hyojin, who finished first in the seed ranking tournament, is also a strong competitor. Yang said, "While other rookies may set their first-year goal at one win, I aim for two victories," expressing her ambition.

The competition for records continues as well. Park Minji, who has accumulated 19 career wins, will tie the all-time tour record of 20 wins, currently held by the late Koo Okhee and Shin Ji-ae, if she secures just one more victory. With two wins this season, she can set a new record for the most wins in tour history.

There is also keen interest in the prize money records. Park Minji has accumulated 6,550,721,667 won in prize money so far, and if she earns an additional 449,278,333 won this season, she will become the first player ever to surpass a cumulative total of 7 billion won. Whether Park's single-season prize money record of 1,521,374,313 won, set in 2021, will be broken is another major point to watch.

"36-year-old Horse Zodiac" An Songyi, who has two career KLPGA Tour wins, is challenging another milestone. Last year, she set new records for most tournament appearances and most cuts made. This season, she aims to become the first ever to play 400 tournaments and make 300 cuts. Having played in 389 tournaments to date, An will reach 400 by entering just 11 more events. If she makes the cut in nine more tournaments, she will set the unprecedented record of 300 cuts made. An said, "I will continue to show my diligent play and never give up until the end."

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