FM Championship winner stayed focus after ugly Round 3 with help from caddie, teammates

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NORTON — After Jin Young Ko missed her putt for par on the 18th green, Haeran Ryu had two shots left during the playoff round. And with darkness coming after a delay that lasted more than two hours, Ryu made those final two putts to win the inaugural FM Championship at TPC Boston.

For Ryu, it was her second career LPGA Tour victory. But it didn’t come easy or without a little stress. After shooting an impressive 10-under in Round 2, the 23-year-old struggled in Round 3 and shot 6-over. Ryu said she was angry after that round, but a talk with her caddie and teammates kept her grounded by telling her, “Just for today, it’s bad.”

That’s all it turned out to be: A bad round.

Ryu bounced back on Sunday with four straight birdies to open the final round. But Ko was close behind with the two being neck and neck most of the tournament. Lightning delayed play with the two tied at 15-under, and it began to rain hard when play resumed just before 6 p.m. EST.

But it didn’t change anything for Ryu. She only had one-and-a-half holes left, so her mindset didn’t change going into the final hole.

Ryu finished before Ko, and Ko had a chance to win but just narrowly missed her putt. After a three-hole playoff, Ryu emerged victorious as the inaugural FM Championship winner.

“Wow, I’m so proud of myself,” she said after being doused in champagne on the 18th green. “It’s amazing.”

Ryu earned the $3.8 million purse — the largest non-major, non-tour championship purse on the LPGA Tour.

With a second LPGA Tour win under her belt, Ryu is projected to move within the top five in the Race to the CME Globe. She’ll be back next year when the FM Championship returns to Norton for a second straight year.

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