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She already had decided on the donation. What she didn’t expect was how big it was and how impactful it could be. Before arriving in Australia, So Yeon Ryu decided to donate half her winnings at both the ISPS Handa Vic Open and the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open to bushfire relief efforts in the country.
According to government reports, 12.35 million acres burned throughout the nation in recent months, with 24 people and millions of animals killed in the blazes.
“I feel like even though I'm Korean and even though I spend a lot of time in America, I feel like Australia is my second home,” Ryu (above) said. “I have a lot of Australian staff. My coach is Australian, my physio is Australian, and I'm surrounded by a lot of Aussies. I’ve come to Australia quite a lot to do winter training since I was 18. So, I love Australia; the food, wine, coffee, but most importantly the people are so nice.
“I feel like without having the experiences I’ve had in Australia, I wouldn’t be who I am today.
“Then I saw what happened in the bushfire and I wanted to do something. But what could I do? I just promised myself that I was going to play really well and donate half of the prize money (to fire relief). But I didn't want to say anything to other people because I didn’t want it to be too much pressure. So, that was my motivation to play well, to donate more money.”
Ryu came within one swing of possibly donating half the winner’s check. She was tied for the lead as she stood on the reachable par-5 18th. But a poor tee shot led to a penalty. Ryu scrambled for a par to make it into a playoff from which she was eliminated two holes later.
“I think the second-place prize money is going to be good enough money to donate,” she said. “But this is not just about me. I hope I can be an inspiration for other people because it already has been almost a month. Maybe people have forgotten (about the devastation). Hopefully people keep thinking about this and keep helping Australia.”
Ryu earned $90,049 for her joint runner-up finish at 13th Beach Golf Links, meaning her donation amounted to just more than $45,000.
Staff and Wire Reports