Haeran Ryu bounced back from a rough third round to win the FM Championship on a rainy Sunday at the TPC Boston.
Entering Sunday four strokes behind Jin Young Ko after losing a six-stroke lead the previous day, Ryu finished with an 8-under 64 to tie Ko at 15-under 273. Ryu then won in a playoff, making a par on the first extra hole.
In the fading light of the playoff hole, Ryu hit her 120-yard third shot to 12 feet on the par-5 18th. Ko’s 111-yard approach shot went past the green. Ko chipped to about 30 feet and made a bogey, while Ryu lagged her birdie putt to a foot and tapped 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.”
Ryu shot a career-best 62 on Friday to take a six-stroke lead into the weekend but had a 78 on Saturday.
“My caddie and my other teammates said to me, `Just for today it’s bad, and tomorrow it all comes through. Just trust yourself,’” Ryu said.
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, and then parred the last two holes after a rain delay of a little over two hours.
Ko, the former world No. 1 who hasn’t won on the LPGA Tour since May 2023, missed an 8-foot birdie try on the 18th hole during 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 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 event. She won the NW Arkansas Championship last year as an LPGA Tour rookie and has five victories on the Korean tour.
