Ryu Hae-ran rallies to historic major win

Ryu Hae-ran beamed as she lifted the trophy after capturing her first major title in just her fourth LPGA Tour season. "I had several chances to win a major before, but I finally did it," she said. "It still feels like a dream."

Ryu closed with a 2-under 70, carding five birdies and three bogeys in Sunday's final round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club. She finished at 13-under 275, beating fellow South Korean Yoon Ina by two strokes after Yoon posted 11-under 277.

The title seemed improbable after the opening round. Ryu shot a 1-over 73 on Thursday, leaving her tied for 70th and a daunting 10 strokes behind Yoon, who had opened with a sparkling 9-under 63. She transformed the tournament with consecutive rounds of 64 and 68, then completed the rally on Sunday to finish alone atop the leaderboard.

Her victory was historic. Ryu became the first player since Carol Mann won the 1964 Western Open to erase a 10-shot deficit after the opening round and capture a women's major. The comeback also matched the largest first-round rally ever recorded in a women's major championship.

The win further strengthened South Korea's remarkable legacy at the tournament. Pak Se-ri won the championship three times in 1998, 2002 and 2006, while Park In-bee claimed three straight titles from 2013 through 2015. Park Sung-hyun added another in 2018, followed by Kim Sei-young in 2020, Jeon In-gee in 2022 and Yang Hee-young in 2024.

The final round was far from routine. Thunderstorms pushed back tee times by more than three hours, and strong winds greeted players once play began. Ryu got off to a shaky start, making three bogeys while managing just one birdie through her first five holes.

She steadied herself with birdies at the seventh and ninth holes to reclaim the lead. From there, she never looked back, playing the back nine bogey-free while adding two more birdies. When her winning putt dropped on the 18th green, fellow players celebrated by showering her with champagne as she soaked in the biggest moment of her career.

"From now on, they'll introduce me as 'major champion Ryu Hae-ran,'" she said. "It's an amazing feeling, and I'm incredibly happy."

The breakthrough victory also brought the biggest payday of her career. The championship featured a record $13 million purse, the largest in women's golf and higher than the $12.5 million purse at this season's U.S. Women's Open. Although the winner's check of $1.95 million was smaller than the U.S. Women's Open's $2.5 million prize, it exceeded the combined $1.215 million Ryu earned from her previous three LPGA Tour victories.

Ryu did not compete in the U.S. Women's Open, the season's second major, after returning to South Korea for surgery to remove an ovarian cyst. The decision came despite the momentum she had built with a runner-up finish at the Kroger Queen City Championship the previous month.

"I think taking time to recover in Korea and enjoying my mom's home-cooked meals made all the difference this week," she said.

South Korean players claimed four of the tournament's top-10 finishes. Ryu and Yoon finished first and second, while Kim Sei-young and Kim A-lim tied for eighth at 6-under 282. World No. 1 Nelly Korda, winner of the season's first two major championships, also finished in a tie for eighth.


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