Haeran Ryu Wins The KPMG Women's PGA
Plus, Travelers goes to a Monday playoff, Delon outlasts Revuelta at Muirfield, Tuesday's Open qualifying to get TV feed, and Mickelson's troubles mount as he WD's from The Open.
It wouldn’t be a major championship at Hazeltine National without some quirky drama.
Chased by Nelly Korda in pursuit of her third straight major victory, Haeran Ryu overcame a rain delay, front-nine traffic that saw her lose the lead, and only minor signs of rust caused by an unexpected mid-season surgery, to win the KPMG Women’s PGA by two
In Thursday’s opening round—which also happened to be Ryu’s first start in six weeks—the 25-year-old opened with 73, leaving her a record-tying 10 strokes behind 63-shooter Ina Yoon. But with subsequent rounds of 64-68-70, Ryu ended up two clear of Yoon after making up 12 shots in 54 holes.
“Feels like dreams come true right now,” Ryu said after being dowsed by champagne on the 18th green. “I’m so happy right now. And thanks for God.”
The ten-shot deficit Ryu overcame tied the most in any women’s major. If you remember the other one, well, please leave your brain to science.
In the 1964 Women’s Western Open at Scenic Hills CC in Pensacola—yep, that was a major for 37 years—Carol Mann opened with a less than stellar 83 and trailed Ruth Jessen by 10 and went on to win. (Fun Final Golf Jeopardy answer: Scenic Hills is the only Florida course to host a U.S. Women’s Open, won by Donna Caponi in 1969.)
Ryu was making her first start since returning from Korea for an undisclosed medical procedure. Long a tantalizing talent who would have been one of last month’s favorites at Riviera, Ryu missed this year’s U.S. Women’s Open and had not teed up since a second-place finish in the Kroger Queen City Championship in mid-May.
The No. 12-ranked golfer has long seemed primed to break through given her power, temperament, and model golf swing.
After contending in last year’s Chevron Championship, Ryu experienced a quiet 2025 in the majors. The three-time LPGA winner has been in the hunt at a enough majors that no one should be at all surprised she finally broke through. Before Sunday’s win, Ryu had five-top 10s highlighted by two fifth-place finishes.
Ryu put on a complete performance statistically, ranking first in Strokes Gained tee to green, fifth in SG Approach, 11th in SG Scrambling and 15th in SG putting. She made no double bogeys and played Hazeltine’s stout par-4s in seven-under-par. Nelly Korda played them in +2 for the week.
Korda delivered a valiant effort at a third straight major but never appeared to be in sync with Hazeltine. Nonetheless, she made a run on Sunday by birdieing the eighth and ninth to get within three of surprise leader Dewi Weber, who was -10. Korda picked up another birdie at the 10th to get to -8, two back of Henderson and Ryu. But a three-putt from 73 feet at the 12th ended her bid at a Grand Slam.
Korda made 18 birdies for the week—same as Ryu—including five in the final round and three more than she made in her win at Riviera. Korda drove it well (SG 6th Tee to Green), hitting 37 of 56 fairways with an approach average of just 142 yards. But the putter ultimately failed to reclaim some of the magic found on the greens at Memorial Park and Riviera: 116 putts to rank 42nd.
Two double bogeys were two more than she posted in her pair of major wins this season. Did the pressure of trying to win a third straight major weigh on Korda?
“I didn’t think about that, no,” she said after her T8 finish. “Like not -- I was just kind of disappointed in the way that I played this week, not that I came up short really. I was just thinking about the way that I played, not like the realistic big picture that everyone is talking about.”
There was also the welcome sight of Brooke Henderson back on a major championship leaderboard. The winner of two majors and 17 top 10s, the 28-year-old Canadian great missed two of five major cuts last year. Henderson has been without her sister and longtime caddy, Brittany, who gave birth last week to her first child, Sahalee, named after the course where the Hendersons won the KPMG ten years ago.
I know what you’re thinking: the poor child will be called Sally her whole life. Coulda been worse had Brooke won her KPMG at Kemper Lakes. Or Baltusrol. Or PGA Frisco. Or Aronimink!
Also of note in the T3 category alongside Henderson: the play of Dewi Weber. The 30-year-old posted the best finish of her career and made history by recording the best major championship finish for a woman from the Netherlands.
As for Hazeltine, we’ll next see it from September 21-23, 2029, during the 48th Ryder Cup. It a real non-treat getting to study Rees Jones’ singular gift at taking his father’s work and sanitizing whatever ounces of character it might have once had. Unfortunately, a proposed de-Reesification by Davis Love and Scot Sherman has been tabled at the request of the PGA of America until after the 48th matches.
Delon Outlasts Revuelta At Muirfield
France’s Valentine Delon defeated Spain’s Andrea Revuelta 3&1 in the 36-hole final of the 123rd Women’s Amateur Championship.
The 21-year-old plays college golf at Virginia Tech took early leads at Muirfield and never trailed in her final three matches. In a tight battle against Revuelta on an especially windy East Lothian day, the contest reached the par-5 17th. Delon reached the green in two and after her birdie putt was conceded, she became the first woman from France to win the Women’s Amateur since Céline Boutier in 2015.
“I don't know how I did that,” she said. “I just think I was putting in a lot of intensity, trying to not give space to my opponent and being really hard on my mindset.”
Delon underwent back surgery in 2019 and was the 66th ranked player in this World Amateur Golf Ranking® when she arrived at Muirfield.
“Since I'm playing golf again, I just want to show everyone that even if something happens in your life, everything is possible. I think I showed it today by winning this tournament. It's amazing. I'm going to play some major championships, the AIG Women’s Open, going to Augusta, and professional events on the LPGA Tour. That's my dream and now it's becoming true.”
Delon will be exempt into The Amundi Evian Championship and the AIG Women’s Open, as well as next year’s Chevron Championship, the US Women’s Open presented by Ally, and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
Revuelta, 20, and the fourth-ranked player in the WAGR®, won a memorable semi-final against American Farah O’Keefe, fresh off her 5-0 showing in the Curtis Cup at Bel-Air. O’Keefe lost in last year’s final at Nairn to Cayetana Fernandez.
“I'm so honoured and grateful to be able to play on a golf course like this and play in the Final,” Revuelta said. “It's a great golf course and you can see it because it's so hard. I'm very happy and hopefully I'll come back and win next time.”
Muirfield, which hosted the 2022 AIG Women’s Open won by Ashleigh Buhai, was staging The Women’s Amateur Championship for the first time. The club does not have any future R&A events currently scheduled.
The 124th Women’s Amateur will be held at Royal Cinque Ports from June 21-26, 2027.
Elsewhere…
Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland will settle the rain-delayed Travelers Championship in a sudden-death playoff set for 9 a.m. Monday morning at TPC River Highlands. Collin Morikawa finished one short of joining the duo after a final round 61.
Tim Wiedemeyer won the European Amateur at Vanajanlinna Golf & Country Club, Finland, to earn a place in The Open at Royal Birkdale. “It’s a dream come true to play a major,” said Wiedemeyer. “I’m just going to try and learn as much as possible and whatever happens there, happens.” Full scores here.
Eugenio Chacarra won the DS Automobiles 83° Open d'Italia with a 24-under-par 260 and has qualified for The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale as part of the Open Championship Series. The 26-year-old claimed his second-straight DP World Tour following his KLM Open triumph earlier this month. He finished five shots clear ahead of Matt Wallace and will be making his Open debut at Birkdale.
Tyler Watts became the youngest winner in the history of the prestigious Northeast Amateur played annually at Wannamoisett Country Club. The 18-year-old incoming freshman at Tennessee moved into Walker Cup contention with the win.
Donald Trump toured East Potomac Golf Course on Sunday with noted landscape architect Tom Fazio and declared in a nearly-600-word Truth Social post that the course will host majors after a renovation commences September 1st. The National Park Service revealed this week that the East Wing debris dumped at East Potomac has tested positive for lead, chromium and other toxic metals.
