So Yeon Ryu just isn’t used to struggling on the golf course. So with only two top-10 finishes through the season’s first 15 events, the fifth-ranked player in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings began to question herself.
“To be honest, I was struggling with my game this season. I’ve been struggling emotionally a lot, but I was overwhelmed,” Ryu said openly. “We thought one of the reason why I was struggling with my putting was anxiety and then just I just couldn’t trust myself.”
Thankfully, a win at last week’s Meijer LPGA Classic gave the former World No.1 a surge of confidence heading into her title defense at this week’s Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G. That win, along with working very closely with a psychologist and relying on the support of her family and friends, helped her overcome the frustration of not meeting her own high performance standards.
“I think just putting is really the key to make my game better all the time,” said Ryu. “If I look back at the last week, my putting was pretty decent, so hopefully I can keep this feeling for the rest of the season and then especially this week. If I can defend a title, that’s going to be awesome.”
What you need to know about the defending champion
- Currently No. 5 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings
- Her six career LPGA victories ties her with Hee-Won Han, Grace Park and Sei Young Kim for the seventh-most LPGA wins by Korean players
- She is a two-time major winner (2017 ANA Inspiration, 2011 U.S. Women’s Open)
- She is the 2017 Rolex Co-Player of the Year and 2017 Rolex ANNIKA Major Award winner, thanks to her victory at the ANA Inspiration and a tie for third at the U.S. Women’s Open
- Became the third player from the Republic of Korea to reach the No. 1 spot in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings on June 26, 2017, following her win at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G; she held the No. 1 spot for 19 weeks
- Shot a career-low 61 in the second round of her winning performance at last year’s 2017 NWA Championship
Final Chance to Qualify for Third Major
This week’s tournament marks the final chance for players to each a berth in next week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the third major of the LPGA season. While a majority of players here in Arkansas are already in next week’s field, 13 professionals are still fighting to make the trip to Chicago and Kemper Lakes Golf Club.The easiest way to get in? Win in Arkansas. The winner of this week’s tournament will receive a full exemption into the KPMG field. But even just a strong finish could work in a player’s favor. There are currently 91 players qualified for KPMG via the 2018 LPGA Money List, with No. 143 Sydnee Michaels currently holding the final spot in the field. This week’s $2 million purse means that a good finish could easily vault one of the 13 hopefuls onto the KPMG entry list.
Jing Yan sits just $215 behind Michaels, and both players are in the Arkansas field. Joining Yan on the outside looking in are Emily Collins, Lauren Coughlin, Gemma Dryburgh, Natalie Gulbis, Vicky Hurst, Joanna Klatten, Alison Lee, Camilla Lennarth, Lee Lopez, Leticia Ras-Anderica, Jessy Tang and Kassidy Teare.
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