Ryu Hae-ran notches runner-up finish at Dana Open

Golf

Published: 22 Jul. 2024, 11:46 Updated: 22 Jul. 2024, 11:47

Ryu Hae-ran notches runner-up finish at Dana Open

Korea's Ryu Hae-ran plays her shot from the ninth tee during the final round of the Dana Open at Highland Meadows Golf Club on Sunday in Sylvania, Ohio. [AFP/YONHAP]

Korea’s Ryu Hae-ran finished second at the Dana Open on Sunday, recording her best finish so far of the 2024 LPGA season in a field absent a raft of golfers headed to the Paris Olympics.

Ryu shot a 19-under-par, 265, to finish one stroke behind Thailand’s Chanettee Wannasaen for a prize of $159,008. The 23-year-old had the strongest weekend among the 80 players who made the cut, trading one bogey for seven birdies on both Saturday and Sunday at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio.

Missing from the field was a slate of players who’ve regularly topped the leaderboards as they join their national delegations in Paris, where the Olympics begin this week.

Korea’s representatives, Ko Jin-young, Kim Hyo-joo and Amy Yang, skipped the action in Ohio.

But it was still a competitive tournament as Ryu climbed up the table over the weekend to overtake defending champion Linn Grant, set to represent Sweden alongside Maja Stark in Paris, by five strokes.

Chanettee Wannasaen of Thailand, left, and Ryu Hae-ran of Korea speak during the final round of the Dana Open at Highland Meadows Golf Club on Sunday in Sylvania, Ohio. [AFP/YONHAP]

Ryu made her LPGA debut in 2023 and was named Rookie of the Year. She won the 2023 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship and will look to defend her title at this year’s tournament in September.

She has recorded seven top-10 finishes this season, including at three majors, but has yet to win a tournament.

She entered the Dana Open field off of a fifth-place finish at the Amundi Evian Championship, the season’s fourth major.

The LPGA Tour next heads to Alberta, Canada for the CPKC Women's Open, which will overlap with the first weekend of the Olympics. The Portland Classic in Portland, Oregon and the Women's Scottish Open in Ayrshire, Scotland directly bookend the women’s golf tournament in Paris, which will likely impact the playing field.

The AIG Women’s Open is the next and final major of the year, set to tee off on Aug. 22 in Fife, Scotland.

BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]