Ryu Hangs on for First Major Victory at KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Hazeltine

  CHASKA, Minn. – Following Thursday’s opening round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club, Korean golfer Haeran Ryu found herself 10 shots off the lead in a share of 70th place.

Entering Sunday’s final round with a one-stroke advantage, Ryu fired a 2-under 70 to defeat fellow countrywoman Ina Yoon by two shots for her fourth win on the LPGA, as she becomes the first player, man or woman, to erase a 10-stroke deficit during the opening round at a major since Carol Mann won the Women’s Western Open in 1964.

“Feels like dream because my first major title in my life,” said Ryu, who has now won at least one event in each of her first four seasons on tour. “I'm so happy, it's dreams come true.

“The first round I just thought like this is the comeback tournament, so I just want to play on the weekend. But on the second round it was amazing play because I had eight birdies and then bogey-free round on the second round. I mean, just feels like dream right now.”

The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship this week also featured a purse of $13 million, the highest in the history of women’s golf and a payday of $1.95 million for Ryu.

Following her opening-round 73 Thursday, the 25-year-old Ryu bounced back by shooting 8-under 64 Friday and moved into the lead by one stroke after a 4-under 68 on Saturday.

During her final round Sunday, Ryu traded blows with 2016 champion Brooke Henderson early on the front nine, with Ryu carding three bogeys over her first five holes.

But Ryu came back with birdies at the seventh and ninth holes to reach 11-under for the championship before sinking her birdie putt from inside of 14 feet at the 10th.

She essentially locked up the championship with another lengthy putt for birdie at the 12th, sinking a 14-footer and cruising over her final six holes to earn a two-stroke victory.

Joining the tour in 2023, Ryu won the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship along with five more top-10 finishes.

She improved to 13 top-10 finishes the following year and placed inside the top-10 at three majors, while winning the FM Championship.

Last season, Ryu made 19 cuts in 23 appearances and finished inside the top-10 on five occasions, including her win at the Black Desert Championship presented by Greater Zion.

Missing just one cut this season, Ryo collects her seventh top-10 finish and moves from fifth to third in the Race to the CME Globe standings.

Yoon, who set multiple tournament records to begin the week by firing a 9-under 63 before her 69 during Friday’s second round to take the 36-hole lead by five strokes, came back to the field Saturday after shooting 3-over 75 to trail Ryu by two.

Starting with a pair of birdies that were negated by a double-bogey at the third, Yoon carded a pair of late birdies, including a 2-footer at the last, on her way to a final-round 70 to finish alone in second place at 11-under 277.

“Grateful to, you know, have a really valuable experience that I have today,” Yoon said Sunday. “Little disappointed yesterday and today, but I think I did pretty good job being under pressure and it's just part of golf.

“I think it's going to be really big lesson in the big picture, big future, and, yeah, was really -- I was having really fun today, yesterday as well. I mean, this week was great, and Haeran played unbelievable today.”

Henderson held the lead briefly during the final round thanks to early bogeys by Ryu and back-to-back birdies at the ninth and 10th holes, but stumbled down the stretch, taking bogey at the 14th to fall three shots back of the lead.

Posting a final-round 72, Henderson said she remains optimistic with her second top-5 finish of the season.

“I'm really happy—I feel like I'm back in better form. I feel like I'm close to being really good again which is really exciting. So happy to get a Top 3 in a major,” Henderson said Sunday. “Makes the whole season feel a little bit better and also feel like gives me a lot of confidence, momentum going into the rest of the year, which my next two events are also majors. Hopefully I can carry that forward. But Haeran played amazing and happy to see her win.”

Falling short of her quest to become the third person to win three consecutive majors, world No. 1 Nelly Korda stumbled late Sunday with a double-bogey to post a final-round 73 to finish tied for eighth at 6-under 282.

“I was just kind of disappointed in the way that I played this week, not that I came up short really,” said Korda, who won the Chevron Championship and followed it with a victory at the U.S. Women’s Open earlier this month. “I was just thinking about the way that I played, not like the realistic big picture that everyone is talking about.”

Up next for the LPGA Tour is the season’s fourth major, the Amundi Evian Championship in France July 9-12.