Who cares what everybody else thinks?
We all do. It's hard not to. Even the world’s best athletes fall victim to its trap.
What are you working on?
Did you change your swing?
Why haven’t you won yet?
If the player wasn’t thinking about it before, they sure are now.
So, what does So Yeon Ryu think?
She wants more.
“I’m working with a psychologist and she always told me I deserve to win a tournament,” Ryu told the media on Thursday. “I deserve to become No. 1 in the world.”
Ryu is already a winner this season after defeating Lexi Thompson in a playoff at the ANA Inspiration to capture her second major title. For all the attention that victory garnered, Ryu’s career has largely played out under the radar despite being one of the world’s most consistent players. She hasn’t missed a cut since 2014 and finished outside the top-10 once in the last nine months. Despite all that, Ryu went without a win for more than two years before breaking through again in Rancho Mirage.
People got her thinking.
She felt she had something to prove.
“When people are asking when are you going to win, you haven’t really won, those kinds of things make it hard to stick to your plan A mindset,” said Ryu. “I’m going to strongly believe my opinion instead of other people’s opinions.”
That’s what the world’s third ranked player will be reminding herself this week as she looks to realize a lifelong dream. She’s already living one dream of playing the LPGA Tour. That other dream, the one where she becomes world No. 1, it's now within her grasp.
“I haven’t been this close. I’m definitely close to No. 1, so that gave me an extra motivation to keep working hard,” said Ryu. “I believe the more important thing is enjoy this moment and enjoy playing golf. I believe that will get me to No. 1.”
At last week’s Volvik LPGA Championship, Ryu finished outside the top-10 for the first time since October of 2016. During the second round, she teetered on and around the cut line for much of the day. Relying on the consistency she’s shown over the course of her career, Ryu managed a one-under par, 71 to make the cut on the number and make her 64th consecutive cut - the longest active cut streak on Tour. She finished T-56 for the week, her worst finish since February of 2016, and slipped from No. 2 to No. 3 in the Rolex Rankings.
“I wasn’t really feeling anything bad, my swing, my putting stroke, my short game, nothing was really going wrong,” Ryu told the media on Thursday. “I think just one of those days.”
This week, she arrives in Atlantic City with a chance to become the world’s top-ranked player as world No. 1 Lydia Ko and No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn are absent from the field. The point differential separating Ryu from Ko is .19.
But, with any great reward comes great risk.
Since joining the LPGA Tour in 2012, Ryu has missed the cut four times in her career, once in 2014 at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, the last time she played in the event.
“To be honest, I haven’t really played well in this tournament,” Ryu acknowledged. “Hopefully I can play well enough this week, and hope I can become a champion.”
This week, she could become much more.
NO. 1 SCENARIOS THIS WEEK
Lydia Ko is currently No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, but either No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn or No. 3 So Yeon Ryu will take over the top spot, depending on this week’s results, based on projections.
If So Yeon Ryu finishes 4th or worse, Ariya Jutanugarn will become No. 1
Ariya Jutanugarn could take over No. 1 if any of the following scenarios happen:
- Ryu is T-2nd with 4 others
- Ryu is T-3rd with at least 1 other
- Ryu is not in the top 3
So Yeon Ryu could take over No. 1 if any of the following scenarios happen (3rd or better finish):
- Ryu wins
- Ryu is 2nd alone
- Ryu is T-2nd with up to 3 others
- Ryu is 3rd alone
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