▲ Ryu Hae-ran at a press conference following her victory
World number three female golfer Ryu Hae-ran, who secured two victories in major events on the U.S. LPGA Tour this season, has now claimed a major title on the KLPGA Tour.
Playing in the final round of the HiteJinro Championship, the KLPGA Tour's season-ending major held at Blue Heron Golf Club in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, Ryu reduced her score by three strokes with four birdies and one bogey. Finishing with a total of 4-under par, she triumphed by a four-stroke margin over co-runners-up Kim Min-sol and Kim Min-ju.
Ryu successfully sank challenging birdie putts on the 4th, 6th, and 10th holes, and widened the gap with her pursuers by landing a picture-perfect iron shot for another birdie on the par-3 16th hole.
Having conquered the KPMG Women's PGA Championship and The Amundi Evian Championship—both LPGA Tour majors—this season, this marks Ryu's first-ever victory in a KLPGA Tour major tournament and brings her total career KLPGA wins to six.
Ryu plans to compete in the KLPGA Tour Iceberg Golf-Seoul Shinmun Open, which opens on October 16, as well as the LPGA Tour BMW Ladies Championship taking place in Haenam on October 22.
Kim Min-sol, who tied for second place, accumulated 1,529,970,000 won in total prize money this season, surpassing Seo Gyo-rim to claim the top spot in the rankings and setting a new record for the most prize money earned in a single KLPGA Tour season.
(Photo: Courtesy of KLPGA, Yonhap News)
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