FM Championship crowns inaugural winner after dramatic finish

NORTON — The final 18 holes weren’t enough to decide the winner of the inaugural FM Championship at TPC Boston after Jin Young Ko and Haeran Ryu finished 15-under after four rounds and went to a play off. The two were neck-and-neck most of the day.

But after a two-plus hour delay due to lightning and a three-hole play off, it was Ryu who emerged victorious and was awarded the $3.8. million purse — the largest non-major, non-tour championship purse on the LPGA Tour.

She was met with a champagne shower after her winning shot on 18.

Ko — who came into the final day atop the leaderboard — had a chance to claim victory on the 18th green, but missed her birdie shot and had to settle for par.

“I was cold, and I took a rest in the car with my manager, just listening to music,” she said of the delay. “Just trying to be really, really calm.”

Ryu, who shot an impressive 10-under on Friday, bounced back from a tough day Saturday in which she finished 6-over. Round 3 marked one of the worst scores the 23-year-old shot. But after a talk with her coach, she was able to go into the final round with a clear mind ready to attack each hole.

Ryu was quick to compliment her opponent, calling her amazing after being presented with the FM Championship trophy.

Ruixin Liu — who just barely made the cut — finished X at 14-under. Though she made a strong run and remained close with Ryu and Ko, she was unable to get ahead.

Allisen Corpuz finished the tournament 13-under after coming into the final day three shots off the lead. She’ll now prepare for the Solheim Cup as part of Team USA in two weeks in Virginia.

“I’m super excited for it, just representing the U.S., being on a team with 11 other amazing women,” Corpuz said Sunday. “Really excited for the opportunity to play in my second Solheim Cup. (My) game feels really solid. There’s always something to clean up, but it felt pretty good out there this week.”

Megan Khang, who came into the final round shooting 4-under, finished the tournament 3-under after shooting 1-over in Round 4.

“Coming into this week I knew it was going to be a fun week and just kind of just really wanted to soak it all in,” the Rockland native said after her final round. “The crowd and the fans did not disappoint; neither did the golf course. … I would like to think I did a pretty good job. I’m sure there’s stuff I can improve on. … Despite having a 1-over day today I felt like I played relatively well. Clearly not at the top, but being in front of a home crowd, happy to make the weekend. Would’ve loved to perform a little better, but overall just kind of happy how I handled this week.”

While the Mass. native wasn’t the one raising the trophy on the 18th green, she was appreciative of the crowd she drew over the course of the four days. On Saturday, she called New England fans “ride or die” and the fact it was Labor Day weekend wasn’t lost on the 26-year-old.

“The crowd is incredible. Like I’ve always said Massachusetts is very much a sports town, Boston is a sports town. The way the crowd came out and showed up for the LPGA, it means the world to me,” she said. “Not only because being from here, but to see how big women’s golf is here in New England. … I wear Massachusetts as like a huge badge of honor, and I’m very prideful of it.”

Twelve American golfers from the FM Championship will represent Team USA in the upcoming Solheim Cup, including Khang, Coughlin, Corpuz and Lexi Thompson — who announced 2024 would be her final year competing professionally.

“She is playing some great golf right now,” Khang said of Thompson. “I couldn’t be happier to see her on the team. I have a feeling she’s going to kick some butt coming up in two weeks.”