Haeran Ryu recovered from a rough start to secure her first career major title, winning the KPMG Women's PGA Championship by two shots over Ina Yoon on a windy Sunday at Hazeltine National Golf Club.
Ryu carded a two-under 70 to finish at 13 under par, becoming the sixth South Korean to win the event in the last 12 editions. She broke into a broad smile after sinking her final putt before friends rushed onto the green to douse her in celebration.
The 2023 LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year also became the first player in at least 60 years to win a major championship after trailing by 10 or more shots following the opening round. Ryu opened with a 73 on Thursday to sit tied for 70th, while Yoon surged into the lead with a tournament-record 63.
Playing her first event in six weeks, Ryu quickly shook off any rust and followed her coach's advice to focus on moving forward.
"You don't have another problem so just trust your shot and trust your caddie and trust yourself on the golf course," Ryu said during the trophy ceremony on the 18th green.
Brooke Henderson and Dewi Weber tied for third at 10 under. Three Americans - Allisen Corpuz, Auston Kim and Alison Lee - tied for fifth place, six behind Ryu.
"Haeran played unbelievable today," Yoon said. "Brooke, I like to play her, play with her all the time. She's such a nice girl. I learned a lot today, this week."
LPGA Tour leader Nelly Korda wrapped up a frustrating weekend on the greens with a 73 to finish in a four-way tie for eighth, failing to become the third player to win the first three majors of the season.
The course was closed for most of the morning while a thunderstorm moved through the area, dropping more than an inch of rain and pushing all of the tee times back by three-and-a-half hours while players tried to stay focused.
That left the greens extra soft and the air especially gusty, making many of Hazeltine's notoriously long fairways even trickier.
Ryu was five strokes behind Yoon in a four-way tie for second after two rounds and surged to the top on Saturday to take a one-shot lead over Henderson, the third time she's been ahead or tied for the lead entering the final round of a major.
The 25-year-old Ryu bogeyed three of her first five holes before settling in and flexing her ball-striking muscle on a particularly tough afternoon for putting.
Ranking in the top three on the tour in approach, tee to green, and greens in regulation, Ryu went four under over the final 12 holes to separate from the pack in a far more relaxing finish than she was on track for. Four different players held a solo lead over the front nine.
Korda made the turn only three shots back and birdied the 10th hole, but her short game fell short down the stretch in similar fashion to the third round. She three-putted five different times at Hazeltine, after posting no more than three in any other tournament this year.
Hazeltine's signature lakeside hole dragged her down, too, with a double bogey in the first and fourth rounds on the 16th.
Her second shot from the right edge of the fairway splashed in the water for a costly penalty stroke, and she two-putted the par-four hole.
With the Evian Championship and Women's British Open next month, Korda can still add a Grand Slam to what has been a superb season despite some setbacks this week in Minnesota.
"I was just thinking about the way that I played," Korda said, "not like the realistic big picture that everyone is talking about."
The LPGA Tour takes a week off before the women's major season continues at the Amundi Evian Championship, held from July 9-12 at Evian Resort Golf Club in France and live on Your Site. or .
