Yoo Hae-ran, who has secured two major victories on the LPGA Tour this season, has now claimed the top spot in a major event on the KLPGA Tour.
On October 4, at the Blue Heron Golf Club in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, Yoo won the 26th Hi-Tec Jinro Championship, the final major of the KLPGA Tour season, with a final round score of 3-under-par 69, which included four birdies and one bogey.
With a total score of 4-under-par 284, Yoo finished four strokes ahead of joint second-place finishers Kim Min-sol and Kim Min-joo, who both ended at even-par 288. Yoo was the only player in the tournament to record an under-par total over the four rounds.
This victory marks Yoo's sixth career win on the KLPGA Tour, her first since the Nexen & Saintnine Masters in April 2022, ending a drought of four years and five months. She earned a prize of 270 million won for her win.
This is also Yoo's first major title on the KLPGA Tour. After competing in the Jeju Samdasoo Masters in August 2024, this is her return to the domestic stage after approximately two years and two months.
With this win, Yoo has now achieved all three of her victories this season in major tournaments, following her wins at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the Amundi Evian Championship.
Starting the final round with a one-stroke lead, Yoo extended her advantage with precise shots and putting. She made her first birdie on the fourth hole (par 5) and followed it with a successful 7-meter birdie putt on the sixth hole (par 4), increasing her lead over the second-place group.
However, she faced a challenge on the 14th hole (par 4), where she recorded her only bogey of the day after three-putting, allowing Seo Ji-eun to close the gap to just one stroke. Seo, however, lost two strokes on the 15th hole (par 4) after declaring her tee shot unplayable, shifting the momentum back to Yoo.
Yoo then made a birdie on the 16th hole (par 3), hitting her tee shot within one meter of the hole. She secured her victory by paring the 18th hole (par 5).
Kim Min-sol, who finished in joint second place, added 142.5 million won to her season total, bringing her cumulative earnings to 1.529997 billion won. She surpassed the previous KLPGA Tour single-season earnings record of 1.52137 billion won set by Park Min-ji in 2021 and reclaimed the top spot in the prize money rankings.
Seo Ji-eun finished in joint fifth place with a total score of 2-over-par 290.
Seo Kyo-rim, who leads the season in both wins and points, concluded the tournament in joint 20th place with a total score of 7-over-par 295.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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