Ryu So-yeon


Ryu So-yeon, also known as So Yeon Ryu, is a South Korean professional golfer who plays 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 just 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

Ryu turned professional in 2007 at age 17. 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.
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.

Personal life

Ryu 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.

Professional wins (20)

LPGA Tour wins (6)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runner-upWinner's
share
111 Jul 2011U.S. Women's Open74-69-69-69=281−3Playoff Hee Kyung Seo585,000
212 Aug 2012Jamie Farr Toledo Classic67-68-67-62=264−207 strokes Angela Stanford195,000
324 Aug 2014Canadian Pacific Women's Open63-66-67-69=265−232 strokes Na Yeon Choi337,000
42 Apr 2017ANA Inspiration68-69-69-68=274−14Playoff Lexi Thompson405,000
525 Jun 2017Walmart NW Arkansas Championship65-61-69=195−182 strokes Moriya Jutanugarn
Amy Yang		300,000
617 Jun 2018Meijer LPGA Classic64-67-69-67=267−212 strokes Caroline Masson300,000

LPGA Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
12011U.S. Women's Open Hee-Kyung SeoWon three hole aggregate playoff:
Ryu: 3-4-3=10, Seo: 3-6-4=13
22012Women's Australian Open Julieta Granada
Jessica Korda
Stacy Lewis
Brittany Lincicome
Hee-Kyung Seo		Korda won with birdie on second extra hole
32013Walmart NW Arkansas Championship Inbee ParkLost to birdie on first extra hole
42017ANA Inspiration Lexi ThompsonWon with birdie on first extra hole
52018KPMG Women's PGA Championship Nasa Hataoka
Park Sung-hyun		Park won with birdie on second extra hole.
Hataoka eliminated with par on first hole
62020ISPS Handa Vic Open Choi Hye-jin
Park Hee-young		Park won with par on fourth extra hole
Ryu eliminated with birdie on second hole

LPGA of Korea Tour wins (10)

LPGA of Japan Tour wins (1)

Ladies European Tour wins (1)

Cactus Tour wins (1)

Other wins (2)

Wins (2)

1 Defeated Hee Kyung Seo in a three-hole playoff: Ryu and Seo
2 Defeated Lexi Thompson in a sudden death playoff with birdie on first extra hole

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order before 2019.
^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013.
DQ = disqualified

CUT = missed the half-way cut

T = tied

Summary

* 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.
YearWorld
ranking		Source
2007554
2008127
200959
201043
201127
20127
20135
20147
20155
20169
20173
20183
201918

Team appearances

Professional