Minsol Kim edges amateur star to capture historic Korea Women’s Open title
The former national team standout withstands a dramatic weather delay to secure her maiden major and punch her ticket to the global stage.
Paju, Korea - Former national team star Minsol Kim delivered a masterclass in patience to capture the 40th Korea Women’s Open Golf Championship, surviving a brutal three-hour weather delay to claim her country’s most prestigious national title on Sunday.
The 20-year-old rising star carded a gritty final-round 70 at Lakewood Country Club to finish at four-under-par 280, pipping 18-year-old amateur prodigy Yunseo Yang by a single stroke to secure a life-changing breakthrough victory.
“The Korea Women’s Open has always meant so much to me, and I am incredibly grateful to get this win,” said Kim, who earned a jaw-dropping 400 million won winner’s cheque, a Mercedes-Benz GLE 450, and a coveted three-year KLPGA exemption. “I don’t even have my driver’s licence yet, but I can’t wait to drive this car.”
The high-stakes final round descended into chaos late in the afternoon when severe lightning halted play for nearly three hours, completely freezing the momentum of the field and leading to the disqualification of competitor Ahreum Han under Rule 5.7b.
Having sharpened her course management skills at the US Women’s Open the previous week, Kim relied on strict discipline to handle the tricky pin positions, confidently closing out the victory to earn high-profile exemptions into both the AIG Women’s Open and the Japan Women’s Open later this year.