KLPGA Tour Opens 2026 Season With Record 34.7 Billion Won Purse and No Clear Favorite

From left, Hong Jeong-min, Yoo Hyun-jo and Noh Seung-hee. [Photo=KLPGA]

The 2026 Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association tour begins an eight-month run this week, with attention on whether another wide-open season will unfold without a dominant player.

The KLPGA schedule starts with an opening event in Thailand on March 12 and runs through November, with 31 tournaments. Total prize money is 34.7 billion won, up about 100 million won from last season. Four new events with purses of at least 1 billion won were added, pushing the average purse to 1.12 billion won, the tour said.

The season opener is the Rejuran Championship, played March 12-15 at Amata Springs Country Club (par 72) in Chonburi, Thailand. Its 1.2 billion won purse is the largest in KLPGA Tour history. The 120-player field includes the top 90 on the 2026 KLPGA regular tour eligibility list, 23 players drawn from the 2025 THAI LPGA money list and overseas entrants, and seven sponsor invites.

From left, Lee Ye-won, Bang Shin-sil and Hong Jeong-min. [Photo=KLPGA]

◆A deeper field fuels a wide-open race

In past years, the tour had clear standouts, including Chun In-gee in 2015 (five wins), Park Sung-hyun in 2016 (seven), Choi Hye-jin in 2019 (five), and Park Min-ji in 2021 and 2022 (six each). Recently, however, the tour has lacked a single dominant force.

Last season produced 22 winners across 31 events. Lee Ye-won, Bang Shin-sil and Hong Jeong-min shared the wins lead with three each, while Kim Min-sol and Ko Ji-won won twice. Hong finished as the money leader and Yoo Hyun-jo won the season points title. A similar pattern played out in 2024, when Lee, Park Hyun-kyung, Park Ji-young, Bae So-hyun and Ma Da-som each won three times to share the wins crown.

The tour has attributed the parity to overall improvements in player performance, driven by more systematic physical training, longer average driving distance, and wider use of data for swing work and course strategy. Rookies have also contended immediately, shrinking what once was considered an adjustment period.

Rejuran Championship poster. [Photo=KLPGA]

◆Season opener offers early test; floating green looms as key variable

The opening event is expected to offer an early read on the season, as players put offseason swing work and conditioning to the test. With last season’s top performers in the field, another tightly contested year is expected to begin immediately.

Hong, who won three times last season, held on to finish No. 1 on the money list for her first career money title and is seeking a second straight. “I’m excited for the 2026 season opener after waiting for it,” she said. “I trained hard focusing on my swing and rhythm during winter training, so I also want to be the inaugural champion.” She added that because the course is hosting the event for the first time, she will focus on understanding the grass and layout.

Yoo recorded 19 top-10 finishes last season and won the season points title with steady play. After focusing on short game and fitness in the offseason, she said, “It’s the first tournament of the season and the invitational event of a new sponsor, so I really want to do well.” She added, “It’s right after winter training, so my feel for competition may be off. Rather than the result, I’ll focus on the process and do my best every moment.”

Noh Seung-hee, who finished second on the money list and fourth in points last year, is also among the leading contenders. She joined the Rejuran golf team this year, adding motivation to win the title sponsor’s event.

Seo Gyo-rim, the 2025 rookie of the year, said she is targeting a strong start. “I’m really excited and looking forward to playing the season opener,” she said. “It’s important to button the first one well and build good momentum. I prepared hard in the offseason, so I’ll play with confidence.”

A major variable is the par-3 17th at Amata Springs, where the green floats in the middle of a lake. The tour described it as one of only two “floating greens” in the world. Unlike a typical island green connected to land, it is completely surrounded by water, and players must take a dedicated boat to reach the putting surface after teeing off.

Players who competed there at the 2023 DP World Tour Thailand Classic cited the 17th as the toughest hole. Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat said, “You have to put all your focus into simply hitting the middle of the green without going into the water.” Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello said, “The 17th hole was really tricky and the wind was strong.”

* This article has been translated by AI.

Kang Sang Heon