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Korean tour stars, ex-major champion set to compete for LPGA membership

Published: 03 Dec. 2025, 13:16 Updated: 03 Dec. 2025, 14:23

Lee Jeong-eun of Korea tees off on the eighth hole during the first round of the CPKC Women's Open at Mississauga Golf and Country Club in Ontario, Canada, on Aug. 21. [GETTY]

Eight Korean golfers, including domestic tour stars and a one-time major champion, will vie for LPGA Tour membership at the qualifying tournament starting this week in Alabama.

The final qualifying stage of the 2025 LPGA Q-Series will begin Thursday at Magnolia Grove Golf Course in Mobile, Alabama. At the conclusion of the competition on Monday, the top 25 and ties will earn LPGA cards for the 2026 season.

The Korean contingent will include Lee Jeong-eun, who won the 2019 U.S. Women's Open for her first LPGA title before going on to capture the Rookie of the Year award that same season. The 29-year-old has not been able to match that success since, and lost her LPGA status this year after making just six cuts in 19 tournaments with zero top-10 finishes.

Lee won the 2018 qualifying tournament under a different format to earn her LPGA card.

This week, Lee will compete alongside the two longest hitters on the Korea LPGA (KLPGA) Tour, Lee Dong-eun and Bang Shin-sil.

Lee Dong-eun, who won the Korea Women's Open Golf Championship in June for her maiden KLPGA major title, led the tour by averaging 261.1 yards off the tee. Bang, who finished second behind Lee with 258.7 yards in average driving distance, claimed three titles this year to tie for the tour lead. She also recorded two runner-up finishes and 12 top-10s in 28 tournaments.

Bang Shin-sil of Korea celebrates after winning the High1 Resort Ladies Open at High1 Country Club in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, on July 13. [YONHAP]

Other Korean players in the field are: Juniper Jang, who previously went by her Korean birthname Hyo-joon, Joo Soo-bin, Annie Kim, Shin Bi and Yoon Min-a. Jang and Joo both played on the LPGA Tour this year. Kim, Shin and Yoon have previously played on the second-tier Epson Tour.

Korean players have performed well at recent Q-Series. An Narin won the competition in 2021, and Ryu Hae-ran followed suit in 2022 before winning the LPGA Rookie of the Year honor in 2023. Lee So-mi, who earned her first LPGA title this year, finished second at the 2023 Q-Series.

Some notable names this week are Hinako Shibuno of Japan, the 2019 AIG Women's British Open champion, and Jodi Ewart Shadoff of England, a three-time Solheim Cup contestant with one LPGA title to her name.

Yonhap