The purse was a record $13 million, and Haeran Ryu took $1.95 million of it. She earned it the hard way, with three bogeys in her first five holes on Sunday at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota.
The mess dropped her to 9-under. That left her level with Brooke Henderson and one shot behind Dewi Weber, who had eagled the seventh. Ryu had started the day one stroke clear.
She settled down. Over her final 13 holes she played 4-under with no bogeys. The turn decided it: she and Henderson both holed putts from about 14 feet at the par-4 10th, but Ryu’s went in first and kept her one ahead at 12-under. Another birdie at the 12th, off an approach to 14 feet, made the lead two. Six closing pars finished the job.
Her final score was 13-under 275, two strokes better than Ina Yoon. It was Ryu’s first major and her fourth LPGA Tour win.
From T70 to champion
Ryu opened with a 73 on Thursday and sat tied for 70th, 10 strokes behind Yoon, who had set a tournament record with a 63. Golf Today reported it was the largest first-round deficit ever overcome to win this championship. Carol Mann was the last to erase a 10-shot opening gap and win any women’s major, at the 1964 Women’s Western Open.
A 64 on Friday and a 68 on Saturday did the repair work. “I mean, it just feels like a dream right now,” Ryu said. Asked about Thursday night, she said: “I just thought like this is the comeback tournament. I just want to play on the weekend.”
The numbers behind the win were solid. Ryu hit 10 of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens on Sunday, and she led the field for the week in Strokes Gained: Total, greens in regulation and Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green.
How the others finished
Yoon ended at 11-under 277, her best LPGA Tour finish. Her back nine had too many pars when she needed birdies. “Haeran played unbelievable today,” she said.
Henderson bogeyed the 14th after a wayward drive, and Weber dropped shots late. The two shared third at 10-under 278. For Weber it was the best major finish by a player from the Netherlands.
Nelly Korda came in chasing a third straight major and finished tied for eighth. Ryu is only the seventh player since 1990 to win in each of her first four seasons on tour.
