06/28/26 07:11:00
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06/28 19:10 CDT Haeran Ryu wins the Women's PGA Championship for her first
major title
Haeran Ryu wins the Women's PGA Championship for her first major title
By DAVE CAMPBELL
AP Sports Writer
CHASKA, Minn. (AP) --- Haeran Ryu recovered from a rough start to secure her
first career major title, winning the Women's PGA Championship by two strokes
over Ina Yoon on a windy Sunday at Hazeltine National Golf Club.
Ryu shot a 2-under 70 to finish at 13-under 275 and become the sixth South
Korean to win the event over the last 12 editions, flashing a big smile after
sinking her last putt as friends ran out to douse her in celebration.
The 2023 LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year was also the first major champion in at
least the last 60 years to rally from a 10-plus-shot deficit after the first
round. Ryu opened Thursday with a 73 in a tie for 70th place, as Yoon shot a
tournament-record 63.
Playing her first event in six weeks, Ryu shook off whatever rust she showed
and heeded some keen advice from her coach about 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 strokes
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 Twin Cities metro area, dropping more than an inch of rain and
pushing all of the tee times back by 3 1/2 hours while players tried to stay
focused and loose. 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 4 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.
Weber became only the fourth women's player from the Netherlands to finish in
the top 20 at a major tournament, with Anne van Dam the most recent at the 2024
British Women's Open. Only one player on the men's side has ever done so.
The 23-year-old Yoon had her best finish on the LPGA Tour, deftly rebounding
from a 75 on Saturday and a double bogey on the third hole on Sunday.
"Little disappointed yesterday and today, but I think I did pretty good job
being under pressure and it's just part of golf," Yoon said. "I think it's
going to be a really big lesson in the big picture."
Korda turns her focus to the next two majors
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-4 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."
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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