Rookie Ryu grabs first LPGA win

Ryu Hae-ran completed a wire-to-wire run to her first LPGA Tour title, a three-shot victory on Sunday at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.

The 22-year-old rookie from South Korea had four birdies and an eagle in her last nine holes at Pinnacle Country Club to shoot a 5-under 66 and finish at 19-under 194 in the 54-hole event. Ryu, the LPGA Q-Series medalist last year, earned $345,000 and is projected to climb into the top 10 in the Race to CME Globe.

"I'm so happy because always I think winning the first of the year, but it's the first time I'm playing in Arkansas," Ryu said. "It's a wonderful course. I'm a pretty good player, so, so happy."

Linnea Strom closed with a 64 to finish second at 16-under.

After playing without a bogey while shooting 64s in each of the first two rounds, Ryu dropped two shots to lose her lead with bogeys on holes 2 and 5. After making the turn at 1-over for her round, Ryu had birdies on 10 and 12, then eagled the par-5 14th to move back ahead at 17-under.

She added birdies at 16 and 18 in a back-nine 29. Ryu became the fifth rookie to win this year, and the first to do it while leading after every round since Patty Tavatanakit at the 2021 Chevron Championship.

"Last three holes I tried to not see the scoreboard," Ryu said. "Just focus on my play, and I made two more birdies. Yeah, it's more confidence."

Four players tied for third at 15-under: South Koreans Jenny Shin (67) and Kim Sei-young (66), Japan's Yuna Nishimura (68) and Bianca Pagdanganan of the Philippines (64).

XINHUA