Ryu So-yeon
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Ryu So-yeon (Korean:유소연; pronounced[jusojʌn]; born 29 June 1990), also known as So Yeon Ryu, is a South Korean professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour and on the LPGA of Korea Tour.
She is a two-time major winner having won the 2011 U.S. Women's Open and the 2017 ANA Inspiration.
On 26 June 2017, she became only the 11th No. 1 ranked golfer in the Rolex Rankings by virtue of winning her 5th LPGA Tour title at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.
Professional career
LPGA of Korea
In 2007, at the age of 17, Ryu turned professional. Her first win as a professional came in February 2008 on the American Cactus Tour, in which she won by six strokes. She then joined the LPGA of Korea, winning the first event she played, the Sports Seoul Open.
On 11 July 2011, Ryu won the U.S. Women's Open. On the 18th hole of the final round, the toughest hole for the tournament, she trailed the clubhouse leader Hee Kyung Seo by one stroke, but hit her approach to 6 feet and made the birdie putt to force a playoff. Ryu won the three-hole playoff with a birdie on the last hole.
During this era, Ryu also took classes at Yonsei University while also competing full-time on the LPGA Tour. She graduated in February 2013 with a degree in sports business.
LPGA Tour
Ryu picked up her second career LPGA Tour win in 2012 at the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic. With one tournament still to play in the season, Ryu had a big enough lead in the LPGA Rookie of the Year points standings to clinch the award for the season.
On 23 June 2013, Ryu lost in a sudden-death playoff at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship to fellow South Korean Inbee Park. Park made birdie on the first extra hole to take the victory after Ryu could only make par.
On 2 April 2017, Ryu won her second major championship at the ANA Inspiration with a sudden-death playoff victory over Lexi Thompson. The tournament was controversial though, after leader Thompson was handed a retrospective four stroke penalty midway through the final round, for an infringement reported by a TV viewer during the third round. Thompson was found to have incorrectly marked and replaced her ball on the 17th hole during the third round. At the time, Thompson had a two stroke advantage. Ryu went on to win with a birdie on the first extra hole of the playoff.
On 25 June 2017, Ryu won the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship and became the number one golfer in the Women's World Golf Rankings.
In March 2024, Ryu announced her intention to retire after the 2024 Chevron Championship.
Awards and honors
- In 2012, Ryu earned LPGA Rookie of the Year honors.
- In 2017, she won the Rolex Annika Major Award.
- In 2017, Ryu won the LPGA Player of the Year.
Professional wins (20)
LPGA Tour wins (6)
| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (2) |
| Other LPGA Tour (4) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | Winner's share ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 Jul 2011 | U.S. Women's Open | 74-69-69-69=281 | −3 | Playoff | South Korea Hee-kyung Seo | 585,000 |
| 2 | 12 Aug 2012 | Jamie Farr Toledo Classic | 67-68-67-62=264 | −20 | 7 strokes | United States Angela Stanford | 195,000 |
| 3 | 24 Aug 2014 | Canadian Pacific Women's Open | 63-66-67-69=265 | −23 | 2 strokes | South Korea Choi Na-yeon | 337,000 |
| 4 | 2 Apr 2017 | ANA Inspiration | 68-69-69-68=274 | −14 | Playoff | United States Lexi Thompson | 405,000 |
| 5 | 25 Jun 2017 | Walmart NW Arkansas Championship | 65-61-69=195 | −18 | 2 strokes | Thailand Moriya Jutanugarn South Korea Amy Yang | 300,000 |
| 6 | 17 Jun 2018 | Meijer LPGA Classic | 64-67-69-67=267 | −21 | 2 strokes | Germany Caroline Masson | 300,000 |
LPGA Tour playoff record (2–4)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2011 | U.S. Women's Open | South Korea Hee-kyung Seo | Won three hole aggregate playoff: Ryu: 3-4-3=10 (−2), Seo: 3-6-4=13 (+1) |
| 2 | 2012 | Women's Australian Open | Paraguay Julieta Granada United States Jessica Korda United States Stacy Lewis United States Brittany Lincicome South Korea Hee-kyung Seo | Korda won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 3 | 2013 | Walmart NW Arkansas Championship | South Korea Inbee Park | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 4 | 2017 | ANA Inspiration | United States Lexi Thompson | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 5 | 2018 | KPMG Women's PGA Championship | Japan Nasa Hataoka South Korea Park Sung-hyun | Park won with birdie on second extra hole. Hataoka eliminated by par on first hole. |
| 6 | 2020 | ISPS Handa Vic Open | South Korea Choi Hye-jin South Korea Park Hee-young | Park won with par on fourth extra hole. Ryu eliminated by birdie on second hole. |
LPGA of Korea Tour wins (10)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 Apr 2008 | Sports Seoul-KYJ Golf Open | −5 (68-70-73=211) | 4 strokes | South Korea Hye-yong Choi |
| 2 | 25 May 2009 | Doosan Match Play Championship | 27 holes | South Korea Hye-yong Choi | |
| 3 | 7 Jun 2009 | Woori Investment & Securities Ladies Championship | −12 (70-66-68=204) | 4 strokes | South Korea Soo-jin Yang |
| 4 | 19 Jun 2009 | MBC Tour S-Oil Champions Invitational | −6 (69-69-72=210) | 1 stroke | South Korea Hye-jung Kim |
| 5 | 16 Aug 2009 | SBS Charity Women’s Open | −10 (69-70-67=206) | 1 stroke | South Korea Chung Il-mi |
| 6 | 19 Dec 2009 | Orient China Ladies Open | −10 (70-71-70=211) | Playoff | South Korea Seo Hee-kyung |
| 7 | 11 Jun 2011 | SBS Tour Lotte Cantata Ladies Open | −14 (69-69-74=212) | 1 stroke | South Korea Hye-youn Kim |
| 8 | 9 Sep 2012 | Hanwha Finance Classic | −9 (70-70-71-68=279) | 1 stroke | South Korea Heo Yoon-kyung |
| 9 | 30 Aug 2015 | High1 Resort Ladies Open | −11 (71-67-69-70=277) | 2 strokes | South Korea Jang Ha-na |
| 10 | 21 Jun 2020 | Kia Motors Korea Women's Open Championship | −12 (66-67-71-72=276) | 1 stroke | South Korea Kim Hyo-joo |
LPGA of Japan Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 Sep 2018 | Japan Women's Open Golf Championship | 65-72-69-67=273 | −15 | 3 strokes | Japan Nasa Hataoka |
Ladies European Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 Mar 2015 | World Ladies Championship (individual) | 72-73-65-69=279 | −13 | 1 stroke | South Korea Inbee Park |
Cactus Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 Feb 2008 | Event #3 at Wigwam Red | −8 (70-70-68=208) | 6 strokes | United States Marcy Hart |
Other wins (2)
- 2014 Mission Hills World Ladies Championship - team (with Inbee Park)
- 2015 World Ladies Championship - team (with Inbee Park)
Major championships
Wins (2)
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | U.S. Women's Open | Tied for lead | −3 (74-69-69-69=281) | Playoff1 | South Korea Seo Hee-kyung |
| 2017 | ANA Inspiration | 3-shot deficit | −14 (68-69-69-68=274) | Playoff2 | United States Lexi Thompson |
1 Defeated Seo Hee-kyung in a three-hole playoff: Ryu (3-4-3=10) and Seo (3-6-4=13) 2 Defeated Lexi Thompson in a sudden death playoff with birdie on first extra hole
Results timeline
Results not in chronological order.
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevron Championship | T64 | T41 | T56 | 2 | T46 | T20 | T10 | 1 | T48 | T39 |
| Women's PGA Championship | T25 | CUT | T13 | T13 | T4 | T14 | T2 | T10 | ||
| U.S. Women's Open | T25 | 1 | T14 | 3 | T5 | T5 | T11 | T3 | 23 | T2 |
| The Evian Championship ^ | T4 | DQ | T46 | T2 | T40 | T10 | T25 | |||
| Women's British Open | T5 | T17 | T17 | T3 | T8 | T43 | 3 | CUT |
| Tournament | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevron Championship | T50 | T71 | CUT | CUT | |
| U.S. Women's Open | T20 | 22 | CUT | T53 | |
| Women's PGA Championship | T33 | 49 | |||
| The Evian Championship ^ | NT | T54 | T8 | CUT | |
| Women's British Open | CUT | T35 |
^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013.
DQ = disqualified CUT = missed the half-way cut NT = no tournament br> T = tied
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevron Championship | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 12 |
| U.S. Women's Open | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 14 | 13 |
| Women's PGA Championship | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 9 |
| The Evian Championship | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 8 |
| Women's British Open | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 8 |
| Totals | 2 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 20 | 34 | 58 | 50 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 24 (2015 ANA – 2019 Evian)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (twice)
LPGA Tour career summary
| Year | Tournaments played | Cuts made* | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top 10s | Best finish | Earnings ($) | Money list rank | Scoring average | Scoring rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T46 | 5,806 | n/a | 74.33 | n/a |
| 2009 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T29 | 13,111 | n/a | 73.80 | n/a |
| 2010 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | T12 | 61,878 | n/a | 73.18 | n/a |
| 2011 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 624,477 | n/a | 71.80 | n/a |
| 2012 | 24 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 1,282,673 | 6 | 70.30 | 2 |
| 2013 | 24 | 23 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 1,278,864 | 5 | 70.29 | 4 |
| 2014 | 25 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 1 | 1,468,804 | 5 | 69.98 | 4 |
| 2015 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 1,292,395 | 8 | 70.32 | 7 |
| 2016 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 1,259,651 | 10 | 70.07 | 6 |
| 2017 | 23 | 21 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 1,981,593 | 2 | 69.68 | 6 |
| 2018 | 23 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 1,438,850 | 6 | 70.10 | 9 |
| 2019 | 20 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | T2 | 815,768 | 23 | 70.81 | 32 |
| 2020 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | T2 | 320,626 | 35 | 71.00 | n/a |
| 2021 | 20 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | T3 | 687,086 | 29 | 70.01 | 14 |
| 2022 | 20 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | T7 | 332,195 | 72 | 71.09 | 54 |
| 2023 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | T7 | 78,668 | 137 | 72.70 | 134 |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | CUT | 0 | n/a | 75.50 | n/a |
Official through the 2024 season * Includes matchplay and other events without a cut. Ryu was not a member of the LPGA Tour until 2012. Money earned from 2008 to 2011 was not considered official by the LPGA Tour.
World ranking
Position in Women's World Golf Rankings at the end of each calendar year.
| Year | World ranking | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 554 | |
| 2008 | 127 | |
| 2009 | 59 | |
| 2010 | 43 | |
| 2011 | 27 | |
| 2012 | 7 | |
| 2013 | 5 | |
| 2014 | 7 | |
| 2015 | 5 | |
| 2016 | 9 | |
| 2017 | 3 | |
| 2018 | 3 | |
| 2019 | 18 | |
| 2020 | 14 | |
| 2021 | 25 | |
| 2022 | 78 | |
| 2023 | 218 | |
| 2024 | 714 |
Team appearances
Amateur
- Espirito Santo Trophy (representing South Korea): 2006
Professional
- International Crown (representing South Korea): 2014, 2016, 2018 (winners)
External links
- at theLPGA Tourofficial site
- at theWomen's World Golf Rankingsofficial site