Mr. James Hocking reports

WESTGOLD METALS CLOSES IDAHO PROPERTY OPTION AND COMMENCES 2026 EXPLORATION PROGRAM

Westgold Metals Corp. has closed the mineral property option agreement with Silver Rock Resources Inc. (the optionor), a wholly owned subsidiary of IDEX Metals Corp. (TSX Venture Exchange: IDEX), as first announced on May 14, 2026.

Closing of option agreement

Following receipt of acceptance from the Canadian Securities Exchange, the effective date under the option agreement occurred on July 28, 2026. In accordance with the option agreement, Westgold issued 5,737,000 common shares to the optionor and has made the initial cash payment of $100,000.

Under the option agreement, Westgold has the option to acquire a 90-per-cent interest in the Amie, Silver Rock and Demming projects (the Idaho properties) by incurring aggregate exploration expenditures of $5-million over a three-year period and satisfying the remaining terms of the option agreement.

Mobilization of field crew to the Idaho properties

Westgold is also pleased to announce that it has finalized its initial exploration plans and is mobilizing a field crew to the Amie, Silver Rock and Demming projects in Idaho, United States, later this month.

The field crew will comprise a three-person team conducting initial ground reconnaissance, geological mapping and surface sampling. The program is expected to include the review and verification of historical mineral showings, soil sampling, and targeted grab sampling of prospective areas.

The objectives of the initial field program are to improve the company's understanding of the geology and mineralization of the properties, identify areas warranting systematic follow-up work, and assist in the design of future exploration programs for the Amie, Silver Rock and Demming projects.

"We are very pleased to commence our 2026 exploration activities at the Idaho properties," said James Hocking, chief executive officer of Westgold. "These properties have seen limited modern exploration, and the initial field program will allow our geological team to evaluate the historical information, assess priority areas on the ground and develop a systematic exploration strategy for each project."

The company is currently reviewing and compiling the historical technical information received from IDEX Metals Corp. Westgold intends to provide additional information regarding the properties once that review has been completed.

Overview of the Idaho properties

The three properties comprising the Idaho Portfolio cover a combined 79 unpatented lode mining claims on 660.5 hectares of Bureau of Land Management-administered lands, spanning two distinct geological settings with strong historical mining pedigree and significant modern exploration upside.

Amie project, epithermal Au-Ag (gold-silver), Owyhee county, Idaho

The Amie project is Westgold's flagship asset within the Idaho portfolio and the company's primary near-term exploration focus. The property comprises 53 unpatented lode mining claims covering approximately 392.79 hectares in Owyhee county, southwest Idaho, located approximately 70 kilometres southwest of Mountain Home, accessible year-round by vehicle via paved State Highway 78 and secondary gravel roads.

The Amie project is situated on the northeastern flank of the Owyhee Mountains, at the margin of the Snake River Plain, within the same southeast-trending Miocene-age epithermal gold-silver belt that hosts Integra Resources' DeLamar project, a past-producing mine with a current measured and indicated resource of approximately 2.9 million ounces of gold and 143 million ounces of silver (Integra Resources, February, 2026, feasibility study). DeLamar is located approximately 30 miles northwest of the Amie property. Physical evidence of historical activity on the Amie property includes 11 adits, four shafts and 46 test pits across the property, including the past-producing Amie No. 1 and No. 2 shafts, the Big Shot mine, and the Roadside mine.

Silver Rock project, epithermal Ag-Au, Owyhee county, Idaho

The Silver Rock project is located in Owyhee county, southwest Idaho, within the same Miocene-age epithermal belt as the Amie project. The property hosts a high-grade silver system with multiphase, northwest-trending epithermal veins and historical infrastructure including eight adits and 15 pits. Elevated pathfinder elements (mercury, arsenic, antimony) support the epithermal signature. The property has received no modern systematic exploration or drilling.

Demming project, epithermal Au-Ag, Owyhee county, Idaho

The Demming project is located in Owyhee county, southwest Idaho. The property hosts a vertical Au-Ag quartz fissure vein system extending over 1,000 feet in strike length, averaging six to 10 feet in width, associated with a historic mine that operated a 100-ton-per-day flotation mill with approximately 8,000 feet of underground development. Dozens of additional parallel veins remain undrilled, extending along a 20-mile structural belt. A stockpile of mineralized material remains on site.

No current mineral resources or mineral reserves have been defined on any of the Amie, Silver Rock or Demming projects.

Qualified person

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Darren Lefort, PGeo, a qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 -- Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Lefort is a consultant to the company and has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure concerning the Amie, Silver Rock and Demming projects. The historical information presented in this news release has not been independently verified in all instances. Mr. Lefort has reviewed the available historical records and considers the information relevant and suitable for disclosure.

The historical information in this news release relating to the Demming and Silver Rock properties is sourced from a government report titled "Site Inspection Report for Abandoned and Inactive Mines in Southern Idaho: Volume III: Miscellaneous Properties, Owyhee County, Idaho," prepared by Earl H. Bennett et al. in 2010 for the Bureau of Land Management.

Grant of incentive awards

The company also announces that, pursuant to the company's omnibus equity incentive plan, it has granted an aggregate of 4.25 million stock options and 8.65 million restricted share units (RSUs) to certain directors, officers and consultants of the company. Each option is exercisable for one common share of the company at an exercise price of eight cents per share for a period of five years from the grant date. The options and RSUs will vest over a period of 18 months in accordance with applicable award agreements, the terms of the company's plan and applicable securities law hold periods.

About Westgold Metals Corp.

Westgold Metals is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on the identification, acquisition and advancement of precious metal exploration opportunities in established North American mining districts. The company is building a portfolio of high-quality assets in politically stable, mining-friendly jurisdictions, led by an experienced management team with backgrounds in equity capital markets, commercial development and technical exploration. Westgold's flagship assets are the Amie, Silver Rock and Demming epithermal gold-silver projects comprising the Idaho portfolio in Owyhee county, Idaho, United States. Westgold's common shares are listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol WGM, quoted on the OTCQB under the symbol WGMTF and traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol V0U.

We seek Safe Harbor.