NORTON, Mass. — Haeran Ryu saved making birdies and wished to publish her lowest spherical on the LPGA Tour on Friday. She completed that with a 10-under 62 that gave her a six-shot lead within the FM Championship.
Ryu had a run of 4 straight birdies on the entrance 9 and the again 9 on the TPC Boston with its small targets and agency greens. And she or he had a easy rationalization for them.
“Simply an incredible day as a result of my photographs, all the things subsequent to the opening. And my putts, all the things get within the gap,” stated Ryu, the 23-year-old from South Korea who was LPGA rookie of the yr final season. “Wonderful day, yeah.”
Much more wonderful was the scale of her lead. Ryu was at 13-under 131, with Bianca Pagdanganan, Yealimi Noh and Robyn Choi had been tied for second at 7 below. Pagdanganan had a 66, and Noh and Choi every shot 68.
Jin Younger Ko (67) and U.S. Solheim Cup participant Lauren Coughlin (69) had been 6 below.
Marina Alex, who had the 18-hole lead after a bogey-free 68, adopted that with a 72 that left her 9 photographs behind.
Birdie runs are nothing new for Ryu, a five-time winner on the Korea LPGA earlier than incomes her LPGA card because the medalist at its Q-Collection. She gained the Walmart NW Arkansas Open final yr with a 29 on the again 9.
She began her huge run with a birdie on the par-4 fourth after which birdied the following three holes to grab management. She had two birdies in three holes to start out the again 9, after which made 4 in a row beginning on the 14th gap.
Ryu was hitting it so nicely that she thought she may need holed out for an eagle on the par-4 fifteenth due to the cheer. Turns on the market was one individual in her cheering part which may have been excessive for a ball that settled about 4 toes away.
“My mother’s response is sort of getting the eagle, however the ball nonetheless on the inexperienced,” Ryu stated. “Simply enjoyable information for at this time. My mother is de facto completely satisfied … simply the ball is subsequent to the opening. Yeah, only for 10 seconds I simply suppose, ‘Oh, I acquired an eagle.’ Simply birdie.”
The 62 was her low spherical by two photographs on the LPGA. She beforehand had rounds of 64 on three events.
Noh performed bogey free on the TPC Boston, the course that beforehand hosted the PGA Tour for twenty years. She managed just one birdie on the par 5s.
Megan Khang, who was born in close by Brockton, had the most important cheering part. She had a 71 and was at 4-under 140.
Khang was seen speaking to Ryu exterior scoring and somebody requested if she had given the South Korean any recommendation concerning the TPC Boston.
“I didn’t give her any recommendation. I used to be like, ‘What did you do?’ That was a brilliant phenomenal spherical she put collectively — flawless, I consider. It’s onerous to disregard that. You’ve acquired to present credit score the place credit score is due. I’d go ask her for some recommendation after this.”
The FM Championship is in its first yr, and the corporate already raised the prize cash to $3.8 million from when it first introduced it might sponsor the LPGA occasion. FM additionally has provided free lodging to the gamers and is giving a $1,000 stipend to anybody lacking the minimize.
