Ryu Hae-ran

Ryu Hae-ran (born 23 March 2001), also known as Hae Ran Ryu, is a South Korean professional golfer and LPGA Tour player. She has ten professional victories, with five on the LPGA of Korea Tour, and five on the LPGA Tour. She has won two majorsthe 2026 Women's PGA Championship and the 2026 Evian Championship.

Ryu turned professional in 2019, competing on the LPGA of Korea Tour, where she won the Jeju Samdasoo Masters in her first tournament on the tour. She won four further events over the following three years before qualifying for the 2023 LPGA Tour. That year, she won the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship and was awarded LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year. She earned victories at the 2024 FM Championship and the 2025 Black Desert Championship before claiming back-to-back major victories in 2026.

Amateur career Ryu was a top amateur in Korea and won the 2018 Korean Women's Amateur. She qualified for the 2016 U.S. Women's Open, but missed the cut.

Professional career Ryu turned professional in mid-2019 and joined the LPGA of Korea Tour after success on the development tour. She won the 2019 Jeju Samdasoo Masters on her first ever start on the tour. The tournament was reduced to 36 holes in response to adverse weather conditions and she recorded a two-stroke victory. This success earned her full status on the KLPGA Tour, and she defended the title the following year as a rookie, claiming a wire-to-wire victory. In her official rookie season, she earned the Rookie of the Year title after earning over 628 million won, second on the money list behind only Kim Hyo-joo. Ryu played in the 2020 U.S. Women's Open, and finished in a tie for 13th. That year, she rose to 17th in the Women's World Golf Rankings.

In 2022, she won the Nexen Saint Nine Masters, She made her first appearance in the United States at the LPGA Drive On Championship in March 2023. An eight-under-par third round moved her into second position ahead of the final day, but her challenge for the victory faded and she finished tied-7th.

Ryu was in contention at the 2023 U.S. Women's Open and finished in 8th place. At the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, Ryu carded two bogeys on the front-nine of her final round, before shooting six-under-par on the back-nine to win her first LPGA Tour title. Her victory was wire-to-wire, and she won by three strokes from Linnea Strom. Ryu made five additional top-10 finishes during the year, and following a 12th place at The Annika, she secured the 2023 LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year.

At the 2024 Chevron Championship, Ryu held a one-stroke advantage after three rounds, but three bogeys in her first five holes during her fourth round saw her slip back, and she finished in fifth position, her best placing in a major at the time. She also recorded top-10 finishes at the JM Eagle LA Championship (3rd), at the Women's PGA Championship, where she ended in a tie for ninth.

Ryu finished fifth at the 2024 Evian Championship, posted a second-placed finish at the Dana Open, and ended in a tie for third at the CPKC Women's Open. She then achieved victory at the inaugural FM Championship, after defeating her compatriot Ko Jin-young in a playoff. She finished the season with 13 top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour, the most by any player.

At the 2025 Chevron Championship, Ryu led after the third round, but a final-round 76 left her unable to contend for victory. The following week, she secured a wire-to-wire victory at the Black Desert Championship, finishing the event five strokes clear of the field. She moved to a career-high number five in the world rankings. Ryu was selected to represent South Korea at the 2025 International Crown, but they failed to advance to the semi-finals, and were eliminated after winning one of their six matches.

On the 2026 LPGA Tour, Ryu finished runner-up to Lottie Woad at the Kroger Queen City Championship. She then took a short break to help recover from an abdominal injury. On her return, she won her first major at the 2026 Women's PGA Championship. Held at Hazeltine National Golf Club, she fell ten shots off the lead following the conclusion of the opening round, but shot 14-under-par across her next three rounds to secure a two-stroke victory from Ina Yoon. Her comeback was the joint largest in major history, matching the feat of Carol Mann at the 1964 Women's Western Open. She re-entered the top ten of the world rankings, reaching number seven.

A few weeks later, Ryu won back-to-back majors after achieving victory at the Evian Championship. An 11-under-par round of 60 in her third round, an all-time record low score in a women's major, helped earn her a three-stroke advantage. After the final round, she ended level with Brooke Henderson; the two contested a playoff with Ryu winning by making a birdie on the first extra hole. She subsequently rose to a career-high number three in the world rankings.

Ryu competed at the Women's British Open with the opportunity of winning a third straight major. She led after the conclusion of the second round, with a one-stroke advantage over Shiho Kuwaki. In the end, she lost her lead, and finished her final round with back-to-back bogeys as she placed in a tie for sixth.

Amateur wins 2018 Neighbors Trophy Team Championship, Korean Women's Amateur – KangMinKoo Cup

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Professional wins (10) LPGA Tour wins (5) LegendLPGA Tour major championships (2) Other LPGA Tour (3)

Team appearances Amateur World Junior Girls Championship (representing South Korea): 2016, 2017 Asian Games (representing South Korea): 2018 Patsy Hankins Trophy (representing Asia/Pacific): 2018 (winners)

Source:

Professional International Crown (representing South Korea): 2025