Seoul: Having won the past two LPGA major tournaments, Ryu Hae-ran can turn her memorable season into a historic one this week in England. Ryu will try to become the fifth golfer in LPGA history to win three major titles in one year as she prepares to tee off at the 50th AIG Women's Open on Thursday at Royal Lytham and St. Annes Golf Club in Lytham St Annes, England. The winner will take home US$1.5 million.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Ryu, world No. 3, secured her maiden major title by winning the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at the end of June and followed it up with a victory at the Amundi Evian Championship two weeks later. Only four LPGA players have previously won three major championships in one season: Babe Zaharias in 1950, Mickey Wright in 1961, Pat Bradley in 1986 and South Korea's Park In-bee in 2013.
In 1950, there were only three majors contested. Wright achieved three consecutive major wins during a four-major era, while Park captured the first three out of the five majors 13 years ago. This year, Ryu and world No. 1 Nelly Korda have split the first four majors. Korda is currently the leader in the Annika Major Award, which was established in 2014 to recognize the player with the best overall performance at major championships each season.
Players earn points based on top-10 finishes, with a win worth 60 points. Ryu has accumulated 120 points from her two wins, but she did not earn points at the other two majors. She finished tied for 12th at the Chevron Championship and was absent from the U.S. Women's Open due to an injury. Korda, having won the Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women's Open, also tied for eighth at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, earning her 126 points in the Annika Major Award race.
In the Player of the Year standings, Korda leads Ryu with 225 points, giving her a 73-point advantage over the South Korean. Players earn 30 points for a win at a regular event and 60 points for a major win. In another major category, Ryu is second behind Korda in scoring average with 69.40, trailing by 0.35.
Among other South Koreans, Kim Hyo-joo, world No. 4, will seek her first major title since the 2014 Evian Championship. The 31-year-old has won twice this year, joining Ryu, Korda, Hannah Green, and Jeeno Thitikul as multiple champions. Jenny Shin is the latest South Korean winner on the tour, having ended her 10-year drought with a Women's Scottish Open victory Sunday. She jumped 62 spots to reach No. 36 in the rankings, her highest position since 2016.