Deja Ryu! In The Biggest Women’s Golf Tournament In The World, The U.S. Women’s Open, So Yeon Ryu Beats Hee Kyung Seo Again In A Three Hole Playoff

So Yeon Ryu, 2011 United States Women's Open Champion

There might be some, even some dedicated golf fans, who didn’t know who So Yeon Ryu was before her 3 hole playoff with Hee Kyung Seo at the 2011 United States Women’s Open at The Broadmoor. Seo, however, knows full well just who Ryu is. They are friends, and rivals, from the Korean LPGA. In 2009, Hee Kyung Seo was the KLPGA Player of the Year with So Yeon Ryu finishing second.

2009 Most Popular Golfer Winner, So Yeon Ryu, in the center and Player of the Year, Hee Kyung Seo, on the right

Seo was the clear Player of the Year in 2009, but a look at some key statistics from the 2009 KLPGA season will show that Ryu was right on her heels in most categories. Also in the mix at the top of the KLPGA in 2009 was Sun Ju Ahn, who would go to the Japan LPGA (JLPGA) in 2010, winning Player of the Year on that tour in her rookie season.

So Yeon Ryu, Hee Kyung Seo

MONEY LIST (Korean Won-KRW) (cuts made/starts)

1. Hee Kyung Seo 663,759,286 (18/18 )
2. So Yeon Ryu 597,856,500 (18/18 )
3. Sun Ju Ahn 248,406,429 (15/15)
4. Jung Eun Lee 241,842,000 (14/17)
5. Bo Mi Lee 215,038,797 (17/18 )
6. Hye Yong Choi 169,618,340 (18/18 )
7. Ha Neul Kim 167,965,380 (18/18 )
8. Ji Na Lim 152,901,749 (16/17)
9. Bo Kyung Kim 141,513,880 (14/17)
10. Hyun Ji Kim 139,349,643 (16/17)

SCORING AVERAGE [events played]

1. Hee Kyung Seo 70.51 [18]
2. Sun Ju Ahn 70.61 [15]
3. So Yeon Ryu 71.02 [18]
4. Bo Mi Lee 71.90 [18]
5. Ha Neul Kim 71.94 [18]
6. Ae Ri Pyeon 72.02 [18]
7. Jung Eun Lee 72.13 [17]
8. Hee Jung Kim 72.34 [14]
9. Soo Young Moon 72.48 [15]
10. Rang Hong 72.57 [18]

Hee Kyung Seo

BIRDIE AVERAGE

1. Hee Kyung Seo 3.86 [18]
2. Sun Ju Ahn 3.75 [15]
3. So Yeon Ryu 3.63 [18]
4. Ha Neul Kim 3.47 [18]
5. Jung Eun Lee 3.30 [17]
6. Bo Mi Lee 3.10 [18]
7. Soo Young Moon 3.08 [15]
8. Soo Jin Yang 3.07 [17]
9. Ji Na Lim 3.00 [17]
T10. Yu Na Park 2.93 [17]
T10. Young Ran Jo 2.93 [17]

TOP TEN PERCENTAGE

1. Sun Ju Ahn 80.00 [12/15]
T2. Hee Kyung Seo 72.22 [13/18]
T2. So Yeon Ryu 72.22 [13/18]
4. Bo Mi Lee 44.44 [8/18]
T5. Ha Neul Kim 38.89 [7/18]
T5. Ae Ri Pyeon 38.89 [7/18]
7. Hee Jung Kim 35.71 [5/14]
8. Jung Eun Lee 35.29 [6/17]
T9. Bo Kyung Kim 29.41 [5/17]
T9. Soo Jin Yang 29.41 [5/17]
T9. Ji Na Lim 29.41 [5/17]

So Yeon Ryu

PERCENTAGE OF ROUNDS IN THE 60s

1. Hee Kyung Seo 43.40
2. Sun Ju Ahn 31.82
3. So Yeon Ryu 30.19
4. Bo Mi Lee 26.92
5. Soo Young Moon 22.50
6. Jung Eun Lee 19.15
7. Ji Na Lim 18.75
8. Hee Jung Kim 18.42
9. Bo Kyung Kim 17.02
10. Ha Neul Kim 16.98

Hee Kyung Seo won 5 times in 2009, also trumping Ryu by winning 3 of 4 KLPGA Majors. Ryu had never won a Major on any tour until…ok, I’ll get to that in a bit. Not only did Seo and Ryu perform with and against each other on the course, they danced together at the 2009 KLPGA Awards show.

Hee Kyung Seo

So Yeon Ryu and Bo Mi Lee (Bo Mi was 2010 KLPGA Player of the Year)

Starting the 2010 KLPGA season, So Yeon Ryu needed to make a statement that she would not stay in Hee Kyung Seo’s shadow. Ryu did so immediately, in the season’s first event, the 2009 Orient China Open. Yes, that is not a typo. The 2010 KLPGA season actually started with one tournament at the end of 2009, not in Korea but in China. Ryu and Seo were headline participants, along with 2008 LPGA Rookie of the Year, and future #1, Yani Tseng. In the three round event, Seo picked up where she left off in 2009 season, grabbing the lead and holding it by 2 shots over Ryu going into the final round. But Seo could not hold the lead as Ryu tied her at 5-under, forcing a three hole playoff. Ryu won on the third playoff hole, denying Seo an opening win in the first event of the 2010 season.

So Yeon Ryu

As exciting as that three hole playoff was for fans of Ryu and Seo, it would pale next to the playoff the two would play at The Broadmoor on Monday, July 11th, 2011. The prize: the greatest trophy in women’s golf at the U.S. Women’s Open. Playing into the twilight on Sunday, Seo could have given herself a greater lead, but dropped from 4-under to 3-under on the 17th hole as the wind kicked up and Seo’s steady putting betrayed her as she lipped out a very routine par putt. She immediately covered her face with both hands. Although play was suspended and the tournament would go on another day, it was in that moment the sands of victory slipped through Seo’s hands.

Ryu, Seo

With Angela Stanford and Cristie Kerr unable to catch Seo at 3-under, it was Ryu who would come from behind to birdie 18 to force a three hole playoff. With the greatest Korean player of all time, Se Ri Pak, watching Hee Kyung and So Yeon would battle for the title in the event that made Pak a national hero back home in 1998. Ryu and Seo traded pars on the first hole of the playoff, #16. On the following hole, the 600 yard par 5 17th, Seo mishit a draw with her driver far right into a fairway bunker while Ryu found the fairway. Although Seo punched out to the fairway, she was a good 260 yards from the hole and 235 from the green. But the distance would prove a secondary problem as Seo flew into the right side rough. Meanwhile, Ryu stuck her third shot to 6 feet from the flag. Ryu made birdie while Seo made bogey. After trailing until the 72 hole of regulation, Ryu was poised to take another win from Seo. And she did. On the final hole of the aggregate three hole playoff, #18, Ryu ended it with another birdie to win her first ever Major on any tour, and the biggest win of her career. Perhaps she is a new name to some, but to those of us who have followed both Ryu and Seo since their days on the KLPGA, this was a sequel to a movie we had seen before.

SO YEON RYU

with her hero, Se Ri Pak

with low amateur Moriya Jutanugarn of Thailand

HEE KYUNG SEO

POS	START	CNTRY	PLAYER	TO PAR	THRU	TODAY	R1	R2	R3	R4	TOTAL	MONEY
	1	T1		RYU, So Yeon	-3	F	-2	74	69	69	69	281	$585,000
	2	T4		SEO, Hee Kyung	-3	F	-3	72	73	68	68	281	$350,000
	3	T1		KERR, Cristie	-1	F	E	71	72	69	71	283	$215,493
	4	T1		STANFORD, Angela	E	F	+1	72	70	70	72	284	$150,166
	5	T4		MIYAZATO, Mika	+1	F	+1	70	67	76	72	285	$121,591
	T6	T8		WEBB, Karrie	+2	F	E	70	73	72	71	286	$98,128
	T6	T6		MIYAZATO, Ai	+2	F	+1	70	68	76	72	286	$98,128
	T6	T6		PARK, Inbee	+2	F	+1	71	73	70	72	286	$98,128
	9	T12		O’TOOLE, Ryann	+3	F	E	69	72	75	71	287	$81,915
	T10	T21		SHIN, Jiyai	+4	F	-1	73	72	73	70	288	$70,996
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	T10	T17		YANG, Amy	+4	F	E	75	69	73	71	288	$70,996
	T10	T8		KIM, I.K.	+4	F	+2	70	69	76	73	288	$70,996
	T13	T17		CHOI, Chella	+5	F	+1	71	76	70	72	289	$60,780
	T13	T12		KUNG, Candie	+5	F	+2	76	69	71	73	289	$60,780
	T15	T39		STUPPLES, Karen	+6	F	-3	72	77	73	68	290	$48,658
	T15	T21		PETTERSEN, Suzann	+6	F	+1	71	75	72	72	290	$48,658
	T15	T17		GULYANAMITTA, Junthima	+6	F	+2	73	76	68	73	290	$48,658
	T15	T17		TSENG, Yani	+6	F	+2	73	73	71	73	290	$48,658
	T15	T8		SALAS, Lizette	+6	F	+4	69	73	73	75	290	$48,658
	T15	T8		CREAMER, Paula	+6	F	+4	72	70	73	75	290	$48,658
	T21	T26		MATTHEW, Catriona	+7	F	E	76	70	74	71	291	$36,374
	T21	T21		LEE, Meena	+7	F	+2	75	71	72	73	291	$36,374
	T21	T21		PRESSEL, Morgan	+7	F	+2	75	72	71	73	291	$36,374
	T21	T12		LINDLEY, Leta	+7	F	+4	73	71	72	75	291	$36,374
	T25	T32		JEON, Mi-Jeong	+8	F	E	72	73	76	71	292	$30,122
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	T25	25		YOO, Sun Young	+8	F	+2	74	68	77	73	292	$30,122
	T27	T44		LINCICOME, Brittany	+9	F	-1	75	74	74	70	293	$24,042
	T27	T44		YOKOMINE, Sakura	+9	F	-1	72	74	77	70	293	$24,042
	T27	T26		RECARI, Beatriz	+9	F	+2	76	72	72	73	293	$24,042
	T27	T26		WALSHE, Alison	+9	F	+2	74	73	73	73	293	$24,042
	T27	T12		JI, Eun-Hee	+9	F	+6	73	69	74	77	293	$24,042
	T32	T39		GULBIS, Natalie	+10	F	+1	73	75	74	72	294	$21,189
	T32	T32		*JUTANUGARN, Moriya	+10	F	+2	76	69	76	73	294
	T34	T39		MOROMIZATO, Shinobu	+11	F	+2	76	72	74	73	295	$18,370
	T34	T32		HARIGAE, Mina	+11	F	+3	75	74	72	74	295	$18,370
	T34	T32		GAL, Sandra	+11	F	+3	77	72	72	74	295	$18,370
	T34	T32		HJORTH, Maria	+11	F	+3	70	78	73	74	295	$18,370
	T34	T26		LEWIS, Stacy	+11	F	+4	68	73	79	75	295	$18,370
	T34	T26		KORDA, Jessica	+11	F	+4	73	75	72	75	295	$18,370
	T34	T26		KIM, Song-Hee	+11	F	+4	73	73	74	75	295	$18,370
	T34	T12		WARD, Wendy	+11	F	+8	73	69	74	79	295	$18,370
	T42	T58		FENG, Shanshan	+12	F	E	76	72	77	71	296	$14,943
	T42	T39		SJODIN, Karin	+12	F	+3	74	73	75	74	296	$14,943
	T42	T32		FRANCELLA, Meaghan	+12	F	+4	76	73	72	75	296	$14,943
	T45	T49		HURST, Vicky	+13	F	+2	76	72	76	73	297	$12,458
	T45	T49		PARK, Hee Young	+13	F	+2	73	71	80	73	297	$12,458
	T45	T49		MUNOZ, Azahara	+13	F	+2	74	71	79	73	297	$12,458
	T45	T44		JOHNSON, Jennifer	+13	F	+3	75	74	74	74	297	$12,458
	T45	T32		PAK, Se Ri	+13	F	+5	74	70	77	76	297	$12,458
	T50	T68		LANG, Brittany	+14	F	E	72	74	81	71	298	$9,790
	T50	T58		PAK, Jin Young	+14	F	+2	77	72	76	73	298	$9,790
	T50	T49		YANG, Soo-Jin	+14	F	+3	75	74	75	74	298	$9,790
	T50	T49		KIM, Sue	+14	F	+3	73	74	77	74	298	$9,790
	T50	T39		WRIGHT, Lindsey	+14	F	+5	76	71	75	76	298	$9,790
	T55	T68		WIE, Michelle	+15	F	+1	78	71	78	72	299	$8,680
	T55	T64		BORDNER, Danah	+15	F	+2	73	74	79	73	299	$8,680
	T55	T49		PACE, Lee-Anne	+15	F	+4	75	72	77	75	299	$8,680
	T55	T44		URIBE, Mariajo	+15	F	+5	75	69	79	76	299	$8,680
	T59	T58		KIM, Yoo Kyeong	+16	F	+4	74	74	77	75	300	$8,141
	T59	T49		*DUNCAN, Lindy	+16	F	+5	70	78	76	76	300
	T59	T49		*TANCO, Victoria	+16	F	+5	78	69	77	76	300
	T59	T44		CHUA, Jean	+16	F	+6	77	69	77	77	300	$8,141
	63	T68		*ANDERSON, Amy	+17	F	+3	69	77	81	74	301
	T64	72		ALVAREZ, Anya Sarai	+18	F	E	73	76	82	71	302	$7,735
	T64	T68		AHN, Shin-Ae	+18	F	+4	74	75	78	75	302	$7,735
	T64	T64		NOMURA, Haru	+18	F	+5	77	70	79	76	302	$7,735
	T64	T58		MORGAN, Becky	+18	F	+6	75	72	78	77	302	$7,735
	68	T49		*KANG, Danielle	+19	F	+8	72	77	75	79	303
	69	T64		MORENO, Paola	+20	F	+7	73	76	77	78	304	$7,408
	70	T64		STEINHAUER, Sherri	+21	F	+8	72	76	78	79	305	$7,277
	71	T58		NOCERA, Gwladys	+23	F	+11	78	71	76	82	307	$7,146

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