Yoo Hyun-jo’s Dramatic Comeback: How She Won the 2026 KLPGA DB Women’s Championship

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Yu Hyun-jo staged a comeback to capture the season-opening DB Women’s Championship, the KLPGA’s inaugural event for 2026, which carried a total purse of 1.2 billion KRW (about $900,000).

In the final round at Rainbow Hills Country Club (par 72 · 6,682 yards), Yu carded an even-par 72 — two birdies and two bogeys — to finish at 7-under 281. She overturned a second-place position from the previous day to lift the trophy and collect the winner’s prize of 216 million KRW (about $162,000).

Having won back-to-back KB Financial Star Championship titles — a KLPGA major — in 2024 and 2025, Yu added the DB Women’s crown as the tournament’s inaugural champion, marking her third career KLPGA victory.

The 2024 KLPGA Rookie of the Year, Yu played 29 events last season, registering one win, three runner-up finishes, three third-place showings and 19 top-10s, performances that helped her claim the season’s Player of the Year award.

After failing to record a top-10 in the first four events of this season, Yu rediscovered her form with a tie for third at last week’s Deoksin EPC Championship and carried that momentum into this week’s win to reassert herself on tour.

Starting the day one stroke off the lead, Yu teed off in the final group with Go Ji-won. She made pars through the first six holes while Go bogeyed the par-4 4th to fall into a tie, then Go took the lead with a birdie at the par-5 7th.

Yu went ahead by two after a birdie at the par-3 11th, when her tee shot settled about 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) from the cup and she sank the putt. Consecutive bogeys at the par-4 14th and 15th, however, dropped her into a three-way tie with Lee Da-yeon and Go Ji-won, tightening the title race.

Go bogeyed the par-3 17th and Lee bogeyed the closing par-4 18th, which handed Yu the victory.

After the win, Yu said, “I’m thrilled to be the inaugural champion. I went through a difficult stretch early in the season, so this victory feels like a reward.”

Asked whether easing the pressure helped her rally, Yu replied, “I was trapped by the pressure to do better than last year and the need to avoid mistakes. Then I realized the galleries liked seeing me smile on the course. I decided to relax and enjoy golf, and that mindset led to this result.”

Go Ji-won finished tied for second at 6-under 282 after dropping two strokes on the final day. Lee Da-yeon also finished at 6-under 282, with Kim Min-sol — unable to improve her score on Sunday — joining them in a three-way tie for second.

Go had led through the first three rounds and was chasing back-to-back wire-to-wire victories after opening the domestic season in April with a wire-to-wire win at The Siena Open, but she came up short this week.

Rookie Kim Min-sol’s tie for second moves her to the top of the season money list, the Player of the Year race and the rookie standings.

Park Joo-young shot 5-under 67 on Sunday to finish 5-under 283 and tie for fifth with Kim Soo-ji and Han Jin-seon. Banchara Chuttan Kongkraphan (Thailand) and Lee Seung-yeon finished 3-under 285 and tied for eighth.

Oh Hak-yeol, Golf Reporter kungkung5@viva100.com