Ryu Hae-ran a surprise winner at Jeju Samdasoo Masters
Ryu Hae-ran won the storm-shortened Jeju Samdasoo Masters Sunday for her first KLPGA Tour title. / Yonhap
By Kim Jeong-kyoo
KLPGA Dream Tour prodigy Ryu Hae-ran won the storm-shortened Jeju Samdasoo Masters Sunday for her first KLPGA Tour title. The 18-year-old made history, triumphing in her first appearance in the KLPGA Tour.
Tournament officials shortened the 54-hole stroke play to a 36-hole tournament because of violent storms.
Ryu rose in the blustery wind on Saturday to notch a triumph at the Jeju Samdasoo Masters, beating Kim Ji-young2 by two strokes. She won the opening tournament of the second half of the 2019 KLPGA Tour season, taking advantage of her good luck getting to play early Saturday morning. She cheated the wind with less effort than those who played in the fierce afternoon gale.
The 18-year-old finished the final round with a 6-under 66 at the blustery Ora Country Club on the southern resort island of Jeju. She rattled off eight birdies against two bogeys. She had rounds of 68-66 for an aggregate score of 10-under 134.
Kim took second place, having an 8-under 136.
Two rookies Youn Seo-hyeon (20) and Cho A-yean (19) took third, after hitting 7-under 137, three shots shy.
“Having been playing a lot at the windy Gunsan Country Club helped me have a good two rounds,” Ryu said in a televised interview. “I could control myself and my shots as I knew how to manage the strong wind.”
On the maiden victory in her first attempt, she described her emotional state: “I'm all at a loss to know what to say. I'm just bewildered and dazed at a sudden triumph.”
Ryu is not a surprise winner. She is a long-hitter. She averaged 267 yards on the opening day, hitting the fairway 100 percent. She also said she is good at hitting long irons. Her shot with a long iron stops immediately on the green, which helps her control distance with accuracy.
“I'll keep on playing the way I had been playing,” she said plainly about her future games in the regular KLPGA Tour.
With the win, Ryu thrust her way into the limelight. And given her solid, powerful ballstriking ability, she is, for sure, next in line for stardom.
She received 160 million won in prize money with her first triumph win of the season and first career KLPGA Tour title.
A severe gale caused some delay on Saturday as Typhoon Lekima affected the southern parts of Korea including Jeju Island. Golf fans feared the event might not go on as scheduled.
As worried, the storm continued to batter the island on Sunday morning with no signs of stopping. The tournament officials delayed the game several times before canceling the final round eventually early in the afternoon.
World No. 1 in women's golf Ko Jin-young hit a pedestrian one-over 73 on the first day, shooting a four-under 68 on Saturday. After two rounds, she found her seven shots off the overnight leader, almost out of contention. She shared 13th place with three others. The 24-year-old had reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the women's world golf rankings after winning her second major title of 2019 at the Evian Championship last month. The ANA Inspiration she'd notched in April was the first major of the season.
Seven-time major champion and World No. 5 Park In-bee had rounds of 68-72 in an unsuccessful bid for her second KLPGA Tour title. The 30-year-old LPGA Grand Slam winner finished tied for 8th with four others.
Choi Hye-jin, four-time winner of this season, had rounds of 69-73 for a penultimate score of a two-under 142, settling for sharing 17th place.
Defending champion Oh Ji-hyun in a prolonged slump missed the cut.