Haeran Ryu wins biggest purse on the LPGA Tour at TPC Boston; let’s hope it’s a start of trend

Haeran Ryu achieved her second title on the LPGA Tour with a major milestone at the very first FM Championship in Norton, MA, just outside of Boston. After clocking in eight Top 10 finishes in 18 LPGA starts, Ryu managed to make par on the first playoff hole over Ko’s bogey, who had the lead after the third round. The dramatic finish was an exciting culmination of a tournament that represented the winner with the biggest purse in golf outside of the majors and Tour championship, $570,000 to Ryu.

“Second win is too hard for me because this year I got many chances before, but I miss it, a couple times before,” said 23-year-old Ryu afterward. “But today, I don't want to miss again. I was so nervous at the playoff, but maybe Jin Young Ko is same as me. I think just thank for God. I can't believe it here now. Just for thank for God.”

On a day where extreme weather wreaked havoc as Ryu was climbing up the leaderboard, the Seoul, South Korean player made the most of her chances, securing four awesome birdies in a row right out of the gate and adding two more on the front nine at holes six and eight.

She didn’t rest there, hitting three more birdies on the back nine — an incredible total of nine birdies for the day — with a bogey on the 16th hole showing her only vulnerability, equaling her compatriot’s 15-under. In Ryu’s first playoff experience on the Tour, she delivered the goods.

Some of Ryu’s notable accomplishments include:

• Her first year on the LPGA Tour was 2023
• Won the 2023 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship in her rookie year
• In 2023, she also earned five T10 finishes
• That same year, she was selected as the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award at the end of the 2023 season
• Ryu’s Rolex Ranking moves up to No. 18
• Her round on Saturday was the highest third score by an LPGA tournament winner since Betsy Rawls shot a 79 in Round 3 of the 1969 LPGA Championship
• With the winner’s check of $570,000, Ryu surpasses the $2M mark for the season and the $3.5M mark in career earnings
• She qualified for the 2023 LPGA Tour after winning the 2022 LPGA Q-Series
• Won five times on the KLPGA Tour
• Won LPGA of Korea Tour Rookie of the Year in 2020

Haeran Ryu wins FM Championship, a thrilling welcome of LPGA Tour to Boston

Having the FM Championship in the Boston area was a welcome addition to the New England area. The locale has been starved of competitive golf, with just the Traveler’s Championship in Cromwell, CT the other event in the area.

It is a boon that the FM Championship is making a major investment in New England by signing on to host it again in 2025 and for a five-year commitment to the big tournament, a welcome event on the women’s Tour calendar.

The golf course in Norton, MA was a prime location and from what I understand from management at FM, they are hoping to keep it at the same venue for all five years. Let’s cross our fingers on that one because it was a huge success, with the organization pulling out all the stops for patron hospitality. They also provided additional funds for those who didn’t make the cut to cover their expenses. This is a terrific tournament that deserves its place on the sports calendar.

The next exciting LPGA event will be the 2024 Solheim Cup in Gainesville, VA, featuring several of the players who participated at TPC Boston and who qualified for the team event. Solheim takes place Sept. 10-15 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.