NORTON, Mass – A new tournament and another memorable chapter is added to golf history in New England, when Haeran Ryu beat fellow South Korean Jin Young Ko with a par on the first playoff hole to win the LPGA’s FM Championship on September 1 at esteemed TPC Boston.
After 36 holes, it looked as if Haeran Ryu would be the guaranteed winner in the inaugural FM Championship, leading by six strokes after posting 10-under par 62. Ryu surrendered a six-stroke lead on Saturday after shooting a disastrous six-over 78 and began the final round at TPC Boston four shots adrift of compatriot Ko.
However, the 23-year-old was four strokes behind Ko entering the final round before carding an eight-under 64 on Sunday to match Ko at 15-under par for the tournament and then triumphed at the first extra hole. After recording eight top-10 finishes in her previous 18 LPGA Tour starts, Haeran Ryu broke through to earn her second victory on the LPGA Tour.
On the extra hole in fading light, Ryu hit her 120-yard third shot to 12 feet on the par-5 18th, then watched Ko fire her 111-yard approach over the back of the green. Ko chipped to about 30 feet and made bogey, with Ryu then lagging her birdie putt to a foot and tapping in for her second LPGA Tour victory.
“I was so nervous at the playoff, but maybe Jin Young Ko is same as me,” Ryu said. “I think just thank for God. I can’t believe it here now. “My caddie and my other teammates said to me, `Just for today it’s bad, and tomorrow it all comes through. Just trust yourself,’”
On Sunday, the 23-year-old birdied the first four holes and six of the first eight. She added birdies on Nos. 10, 12 and 15, dropped a stroke on the par-3 16th, then — after a rain delay of a little over two hours — parred the final two holes.
Ko, the former world No. 1 who hasn’t won on the LPGA Tour since May 2023, missed an 8-foot birdie try for the victory on 18 in regulation. She shot 68.
“I played really, really good this week,” Ko said. “Unfortunately, just the last shot wasn’t good and I lose. But overall, I played really solid, and congrats to Hae Ran.”
Ko also was 4 under after her first four holes, making eagles on Nos. 2 and 4. The 15-time LPGA Tour winner was even par the rest of the way, closing with four straight pars.
Ryu earned $570,000 from the $3.8 million purse. She won the NW Arkansas Championship last year as an LPGA Tour rookie and has five victories on the Korean tour.
“Really happy because first win is so hard, but second is hard again,” Ryu said.
Ruixin Liu of China was a stoke back after her second straight 64, the lowest scores of her LPGA Tour career. She birdied the first seven holes Sunday — three days after making a quadruple bogey on her opening hole of the tournament.
“I can’t believe it’s true because starting with a 9 off the bat, I didn’t really even think I can make the cut,” Liu said. “So, I’m very grateful to have even had a tee time on Saturday, and to have the best score of my career two times in a row is just amazing.”
Allisen Corpuz and AJeeno Thitikul each shot 67 to tie for fourth at 13 under. Jennifer Kupcho (65) was 11 under along with Celine Borge (63), Ariya Jutanugarn (65) and Arpichaya Yubol (66).
Corpuz and Kuphco were the top U.S. finishers in the last event before the Solheim Cup matches against Europe on Sept. 13-15 in Virginia.
“The biggest thing is seeing some putts fall, seeing some progress there,” Kupcho said. “Obviously, that’s the most important part. I feel like clutch putts at Solheim especially during match play, it will help having that momentum.”
Hometown favorite Megan Khang, from Rockland, MA, drew the biggest crowds of the week estimated at about 20,000 and wrapped up her homecoming week at TPC Boston finished T-35 with rounds of 70, 71, 71 and 73.
“Despite having a one-over day today, I felt like I played relatively well. Clearly not at the top, but being in front of a home crowd, happy to make the weekend. Would’ve loved to perform a little better, but overall just kind of happy how I handled this week,” said Khang after the round on Sunday. “This week definitely was a lot, but I wouldn’t change it for anything,”
The LPGA and FM Global executives said that the first-year tournament will return to the TPC Boston next year.
