Haeran Ryu, who was 10 shots off the lead after the first round, wins her first LPGA major.
Scott Taetsch, PGA of America via Getty Images
If Haeran Ryu was still feeling the effects of the back surgery she had after finishing runner up at the Kroger Queen City Championship on May 17 – her last LPGA appearance before the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship – she didn’t show it. With a major championship and the highest purse in the history of women’s professional golf on the line, the 25-year-old South Korean conquered Hazeltine National Golf Club for her fourth win on the LPGA Tour and first major victory.
“It feels like dreams come true right now because I tried a couple times (to become) a major champion but I didn’t get it,” Ryu said about coming up short in the other two majors in which she had at least a share of the lead going into the final round. “Today I did it so I’m so happy right now.”
Ryu shot 13-under-par 275 on 73-64-68-70, two shots clear of fellow South Korean Ina Yoon. After her 1-over first round, Ryu was 10 shots behind Yoon, whose 9-under 63 on Thursday was the lowest opening round in championship history and tied for the 18-hole scoring record. The last player to overcome a first-round deficit of at least 10 strokes in a major championship was Carol Mann at the 1964 Women’s Western Open.
But no player had ever overcome that large a first-round deficit in the Women’s PGA until Ryu. With a new putter in the bag the final three days, Ryu took the 54-hole lead. And despite a difficult start in gusting winds, Ryu played her final 13 holes 4-under and bogey free to win.
“Just trust yourself, that’s it,” Ryu said of the advice her coach gave her after the first round. “You don’t have a lot of problems so just trust your shot and trust your caddie.”
Going into the weekend, Yoon had a five-stroke lead over the field. But she faltered on Saturday and shot a 3-over 75. While she’d still play in the final group on Sunday, Yoon dropped two shots back of Ryu, who vaulted to the top of the leaderboard with an 8-under 64 on Friday, the low score of the day, and a 4-under 68 on Saturday to get to 11-under for the tournament.
Ryu entered Sunday with a one-shot lead over her other playing partner and 2016 Women’s PGA winner Brooke Henderson. Going into Sunday, the Canadian had been in the final group in the final round of an official LPGA stroke-play event 20 times and went on to win 11 of them.
After a three-and-a-half hour weather delay on Sunday due to storms, play got underway. With winds gusting to over 20 mph, many players at the top fell down the leaderboard. Yoon, despite back-to-back birdies to start her day, made double bogey on the third and bogey on the fifth to drop to 8-under. Ryu struggled with the putter and was 2-over through five holes to drop to 9-under. Henderson made her first bogey of the day on the sixth hole to join Ryu.
The par-5 seventh hole created a lot of movement on the final day. In the second-to-last group, Dewi Weber, ranked No. 210 in the world, made eagle to take the solo lead at 10-under. In the final group, Ryu left her own eagle putt short but made birdie to grab back a share of the lead. Yoon joined Henderson at 9-under with a birdie of her own.
The leaderboard was congested behind them. Weber made back-to-back bogeys on 8 and 9 to fall to 8-under, level with playing partner A Lim Kim. A group ahead, Nelly Korda, after playing her first five holes 2-over, made birdies on holes 7, 8 and 10 to get to join the group two shots back of Ryu.
On the ninth, Henderson buried a 16-footer for birdie to briefly share the lead before Ryu made her 14-foot birdie putt to get back to 11-under and take the solo lead going into the turn.
After Ryu made her third birdie in four holes on 10, it was Henderson’s turn to respond with a birdie of her own. There was finally a bit of separation at the top with Ryu at 12-under and Henderson at 11-under. Yoon was the next closest at 9-under.
On the 12th hole, Ryu hit an emphatic fist pump after she drained another 14-footer for birdie to get to 13-under. The lead at the top was two for the first time all day. And when Henderson bogeyed the 14th hole after her drive found the deep rough, Ryu’s lead was three over Henderson, Yoon and Weber.
Clutch par saves on the way in, which included a seven-and-a-half foot putt on the 16th hole, sealed Ryu’s first major championship and a champagne shower on the 18th green.
Everett Munez
