Kim Gyu-been Claims Korean Women's Amateur Title

Daejeon, Korea: Kim Gyu-been has surged into the top-25 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) for the first time following her emphatic victory in the Korean Women's Amateur –Kang Min Koo Cup.

At Yuseong Country Club, Kim recorded scores of 70, 66, 65 and 72 for a 15-under-par 273 total and a four-shot win from Kim Seo-ah.

In so doing, she has progressed five positions in the ranking to 22nd to become Korean number three behind Oh Soo-min (eighth) and Yang Yun-seo (12th).

Yang, winner of this year’s Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) in New Zealand in February, placed joint sixth in Daejeon on five-under 283. Oh was not in the starting line-up.

Three shots clear at the top heading into the final round, Kim was a model of consistency, closing with an even-par 72 that contained 16 pars.

It was the second notable win of 2026 for 16-year-old Kim who prevailed in a sudden-death play-off against Japan’s Ai Goto to claim the individual title at the 46th Queen Sirikit Cup in Indonesia in May.

That success continued an excellent run of form dating back to last year when Kim won both the Song Am Cup in Korea and the Pondok Indah Junior Championship in Indonesia. She also finished runner-up in the Maekyung Women’s Amateur, tied-third in the Dream Park Cup, tied-fourth in the Korean Girls’ Junior Championship, sixth in the National Sports Festival and tied-10th in the Korean Women's Amateur.

This year, she followed a joint ninth-place finish at the WAAP by placing equal 15th in her debut at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. A fortnight before her Queen Sirikit Cup triumph, Kim was runner-up at the Annika Invitational Asia in Phuket.