Kim Min-sol wins Korea Women's Open, salutes rival Yang Yun-seo's 'outstanding play'

Kim Min-sol claimed the national title at the Mercedes-Benz 40th Korea Women's Open, the women's golf national championship, which carried a purse of 1.5 billion won (approximately $982,000), in a tournament played through severe weather.

In the final round Sunday at Lakewood Country Club's Sangil and Supgil courses (par 71) in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, Kim carded two birdies and one bogey for a 1-under-par 70. Her four-day total of 4-under-par 280 edged national team junior Yang Yun-seo (Incheon Girls' High School Broadcasting and Communications High School) by one stroke in a tense finish.

The victory was Kim's second of the season — her first came at the iM Financial Open in April — making her the first player to reach two wins this year. She took home prize money of 400 million won along with major championship exemptions and a Mercedes-Benz vehicle valued at approximately 130 million won. Her winning benefits also include entry into the AIG Women's Open, an LPGA Tour major next month, and the Japan Women's Open in October.

Conditions on Sunday were brutal. Heavy rain and lightning struck almost from the opening tee shot, forcing six separate suspensions of play. Kim, Yang and the rest of the field had to endure not only physical fatigue but intense mental strain as the round was repeatedly halted.

What stood out amid the disruptions was Kim's composure under pressure. She shared the lead entering the final round and made a birdie from 4.6 meters on the second hole, then steadily parred her way through the rest of the front nine. Maintaining her tempo and focus during the lengthy delays proved to be the decisive factor in her victory.

Kim sealed the title with a crucial birdie on the 15th hole (par 4), the most difficult hole of the tournament. The hole is normally played as a par 5 but was converted to a par 4 for the event, causing problems for much of the field. Yang had been leading during the third round when she found the water there and made a triple bogey — a turning point that ultimately cost her the trophy.

Kim drained a demanding 6.7-meter birdie putt on the 15th — the course's No. 1 handicap hole — to open a three-stroke lead. That birdie proved essential. When Yang birdied the 17th (par 3) and Kim then bogeyed the 18th (par 4) after her second shot found a bunker, the one-stroke margin held and no playoff was needed.

The tournament drew considerable attention from golf fans as a showdown between national team seniors and juniors. Yang, who shared the lead with Kim at the start of the final round, won the Asia-Pacific Women's Amateur Championship in February. She lived up to her reputation, finishing as one of only two players in the entire field — along with Kim — to post an under-par total for the week.

"It is truly an honor and feels like a dream to win the Korea Women's Open, our national title," Kim said in her post-round interview. "With six suspensions due to lightning and rain on Sunday, it was incredibly difficult — technically and mentally — to maintain my rhythm. I tried to stay as relaxed as possible during the waits, not knowing when we would return to the course, and I think that helped produce a good result."

Kim also praised her rival and expressed gratitude to those around her. "Yang Yun-seo showed such outstanding play that I could not let my guard down until the very end," she said. "I also want to pay my respects to her for the great round she played alongside me."

She added: "I am truly grateful to my caddie, who endured all the hardship with me to the end in these terrible conditions. I am especially happy that there was a prize benefit for caddies as well." Mercedes-Benz, participating as a co-organizer for the first time, provided the winning player's caddie with a fully covered one-year vehicle lease.

Kim Min-sun 7 three-putted for bogey on the 18th hole to finish at 1-over-par 285, tying No Seung-hee — who shot 2-under on Sunday — for third place.

Veteran Shin Ji-yae found the water on the 15th hole (par 4) for a double bogey and finished at 3-over-par 287, sharing seventh place with Jeon Woo-ri, Shin Da-in and Choi Ye-bon.