KB Financial Group relaunches KLPGA major as 'Golden Life Championship'

KB Financial Group announced it will host the KB Financial Golden Life Championship — a Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour major — at Blackstone Golf Club in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, from Sept. 10 to Sept. 13. The group plans to go beyond a standard tournament, shaping the event into an intergenerational festival that encompasses retirement planning, family activities and community outreach.

The tournament, founded in 2006 as the KB Financial Star Championship, relaunches this year under its new name. The total purse is 1.5 billion won ($1.1 million), with the winner's share set at 270 million won. KB Financial said it intends to expand the event into a golf festival where players, spectators and families can all take part, while also strengthening community programs for future generations.

This year's field features 120 of the country's top players. Course difficulty has been carefully calibrated to take advantage of Blackstone Golf Club's rugged, hilly terrain, befitting the event's status as one of Korea's four major championships. The third and fourth rounds will feature strategic adjustments to course length to encourage competitive, high-stakes finishes.

A new winner's trophy will also be unveiled to mark the relaunch. Artist Song In-wook, who received the KB Star Award at the "ZOOM-IN" emerging artist special exhibition of the 2026 Hwarang Art Festival, created the trophy. Crafted from wood with flowing curves, it is designed to express a shining moment, a new challenge, and the trust and values built over many years.

In the gallery plaza, KB Financial will set up the "KB Golden Life Village," a multipurpose cultural space themed around "A Golden Journey Made Together with KB." Eight major affiliates — including KB Kookmin Bank, KB Securities, KB Insurance, KB Kookmin Card and KB Life Insurance — will participate, offering financial and life-care services tailored to each stage of life from retirement preparation through post-retirement.

A "Kids Water Zone" will also be available for families with children. The area will feature drone and bubble experiences, water gun play and rest spaces, allowing families to enjoy both the tournament and recreational activities together.

Community programs aimed at nurturing the next generation and supporting the local area will also run throughout the event. On the official practice day before the tournament opens, KB Financial-affiliated professionals Jeon In-ji, Bang Shin-sil, Ahn Song-i and Park Ye-ji will hold a coaching session called "Biteum Class" for promising young junior golfers from the region.

Charitable giving tied to on-course results will continue as well. At the "KB Star Banking Zone" on the fifth hole, 2 million won will be accumulated each time a tee shot lands in the designated area, building up to a maximum of 100 million won in support funds for youth aging out of the foster care system. At the "KB Golden Life Zone" on the 17th hole, 20 kilograms of Icheon rice will be set aside for each ball that lands in the zone, with up to 3,000 kilograms to be donated to multicultural families.

Caddies wearing hats bearing the KB Financial logo will each receive 500,000 won in sponsorship, and players who miss the cut will receive 300,000 won each. "We will carry on the history and tradition of a tournament that has witnessed the birth of new stars over the past 20 years, while relaunching it as an event where both players and spectators are the stars," a KB Financial official said.