SEOUL– At the end of October, South Korean golfer Ryu Hae-ran declared that she would try to take her talent to the LPGA Tour, confident she could hang with the best that women’s golf has to offer.
Deep inside, though, the 21-year-old star on the Korea LPGA (KLPGA) Tour still had doubts she could qualify for the top women’s tour so quickly.
On Sunday in Alabama, Ryu didn’t just play her way onto the LPGA Tour: she won the tour’s qualifying tournament, officially called the Q-Series, by two strokes over Bailey Tardy of the United States at 29-under 545 over eight rounds.
“I didn’t think that I could earn the LPGA Tour card so soon,” Ryu said through an interpreter at Highland Oaks Golf Club in Dothan, Alabama. “It’s still unreal to me that I could play on the LPGA Tour. I think with more time, it would feel more real, and I look forward to playing with some of the best players in the world.”
Ryu has been among the best players in KLPGA in recent years. She won her first title as a nonmember in 2019 and then earned the Korean tour’s top rookie prize in 2020. In 2022, Ryu finished second in the Player of the Year points standings and scoring average, and fourth on the money list.
During her junior days, Ryu had competed against the likes of Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand, the 2022 LPGA Rookie of the Year and world No. 3, and Yuka Saso of Japan, the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open champion.
Ryu will now get to play against them as an LPGA rookie.
“It hasn’t been that long ago since I was a rookie on the KLPGA, so to be a rookie once again feels new,” Ryu said. “Earning this tour card means a lot, especially on the No. 1 tour in the world. To be the first to finish makes me even prouder.”
Ryu began the Q-Series with a 73, a round that included five bogeys. But over her next seven rounds, Ryu made just six more bogeys and a double bogey. She enjoyed three bogey-free rounds along the way, including a 66 on Saturday that catapulted her into the lead.
“I think I played a much better round yesterday,” Ryu said. “Start today was a little shaky. I missed some putts, but I was able to make some birdies in a row. Going into next year, I think I definitely need to practice on my putts.”
Ryu said playing on narrow courses in KLPGA helped her at the Q-Series because the experience helped her develop solid ball striking.
“There wasn’t a lot of stroke difference when I first started this morning so I felt a little nervous,” she said. “But overall, I feel like I’ve grown once again by playing the Q-Series.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency