Ex-Amateur Standout Ryu Strikes it Rich

Chaska, Minnesota, United States: Ryu Hae-ran is the latest Patsy Hankins Trophy and Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) alumna to savour Major success as a professional.

The Korean was a participant in the inaugural edition of the WAAP in Singapore in 2018, finishing tied 18th in a field that also contained Yuka Saso, Patty Tavatanakit, Grace Kim, Jeeno Thitikul and Ayake Furue.

That same year, she was a member of a power-packed Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) line-up that thrashed their European counterparts 23½-8½ in the second staging of the Solheim Cup-style team match play event in Qatar. Saso, Tavatankit, Kim and Jeeno were also part of that team.

Also in 2018, Ryu won the Korean Amateur Women’s Open and was in the Korean team that won the silver medal at the Asian Games in Indonesia. She turned professional in mid-2019.

At Hazeltine National Golf Club on Sunday, Ryu, now aged 25, triumphed in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, claiming the first prize of US$1.95 million, the biggest pay-day in the history women’s golf history. It was her fourth LPGA Tour win but her maiden Major title.

In windy conditions, Ryu shot a closing two-under 70 to finish at 13-under 275 – two strokes ahead of compatriot Ina Yoon, the runner-up. Jeeno tied for eighth alongside world number one Nelly Korda.

The 2023 LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year, Ryu is the sixth Korean to win the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship over the last 12 editions.

Ryu, who was playing her first event for six weeks and was tied for 70th after an opening 73, is the first Major champion for 62 years to rally from a 10-plus-shot deficit after the first round.

“It feels like a dream come true. You don’t have another problem so just trust your shot, trust your caddie and trust yourself on the golf course,” said Ryu at the prize-giving ceremony.