LPGA Tour Breakthrough for ex-WAAP Participant

Rogers, Arkansas, United States: Ryu Hae-ran is the latest Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) alumni to triumph on the LPGA Tour.

The 22-year-old Korean became the fifth rookie to win on the 2023 LPGA Tour with a wire-to-wire victory at the US$2.3 million Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G.

Ryu carded rounds of 64, 64 and 66 at the par-71 Pinnacle Country Club in for a 19-under total and a three-shot victory over Sweden’s Linnea Strom.

Ryu, who hails from Suwon and who shared 18th place at the inaugural WAAP in Singapore in 2018, had previously chalked up five top-10 finishes in 19 starts this season.

“To be honest, I had some doubts whether I can win this year. But I trusted in my shots and kept playing. I think that led to a good result,” said Ryu, who has won five times on the Korea LPGA Tour.

Ryu had to endure some anxious moments during the final round as players with early tee-times began to move up the leaderboard. Following a nervy front nine with one birdie and two bogeys, she moved up a gear and played her last nine holes in six-under-par with four birdies and an eagle at the par-five 14th.

Strom also eagled the 14th hole and sank five birdies en route to a closing 64, but it was not good enough to prevent Ryu from becoming the first rookie to win wire-to-wire since Thai Patty Tavatanakit at the 2021 Chevron Championship.

Although she did not participate in the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, Tavatanakit is among half-a-dozen players who appeared in the 2018 WAAP and have gone on to win on the LPGA Tour.

The others are Tavatanakit’s fellow-Thai Atthaya Thitikul, Japanese duo Yuka Saso and Ayaka Furue and Australian Grace Kim.

Atthaya, Saso and Japanese rookie Yuna Nishimura – three of the four protagonists in the sudden-death play-off won by Atthaya in that first edition of the WAAP – played in Arkansas.

Nishimura finished in a tie for third place on 15-under, the first top-10 finish of her LPGA Tour career, while Saso, the 2021 US Women’s Open champion, was equal 23rd and defending Walmart NW Arkansas Championship champion Atthaya settled for a share of 48th place on six-under following rounds of 68, 71 and 68.

Alongside Nishimura in tied third was Bianca Pagdanganan of the Philippines who carded two eagles and five birdies en route to a closing 64. It was her second top-10 of the season. She also played in the 2018 WAAP, ending in a share of 15th spot with Tavatanakit.

In the wake of her breakthrough win worth US$345,000, Ryu admitted that adjusting to life on the LPGA Tour has not been easy.

“Honestly, I thought I would cry after the win. Adjusting to life in the States wasn’t easy. I had five top-10s this year and I think, especially towards the back nine of the final round, I wasn’t able to get it done,” she said.

“Today, on the front nine I was hitting a lot of weird shots, but I saw the leaderboard and I thought I would really be devastated and disappointed in myself if I lose it again. So, I just told myself on the back nine that I can do it … and I did,” added Ryu, the LPGA Tour’s 11th Rolex First-Time Winner this season.