Haeran Ryu’s poise, artistry and competitive fire were on full display at the Black Desert Championship. She held the same two-shot advantage as the LPGA Tour returned to Utah for the first time in more than 60 years. Ryu—including an amazing long eagle on the 11th hole—played a truly spectacular round. That resulted in Mae’s round of 4-under 68, giving her an incredible total of 18-under 198.
Over the course of the day, Ryu was pushed hard by her fellow finalists. Esther Henseleit from Germany provided a strong final charge and pulled within striking distance of Ryu. She was only able to keep the lead for a few minutes. Henseleit then made an important 10-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole to pull within one shot. Ryu wasted no time reasserting his control over the tournament. When that all took place standing on the 11th fairway, making eagle there to really take control of the tournament.
Ryu’s performance was not without its challenges. She had clear opportunities to expand her lead. She lipped out a birdie attempt from about the same distance as what Henseleit converted. The pressure-filled environment only escalated when Ruoning Yin, one of the pre-tournament favorites, put her stamp on the leaderboard. She began the day in a distant eighth place, eight shots behind Ryu. With a stunning performance, she recorded 10 birdies and capped her day with a 62—the tournament low. Yin’s run moved her within two shots of Ryu and continued to put the pressure on the leader.
Ryu is out to keep that remarkable streak going — she’ll be shooting for a seventh straight year with at least one victory. This extraordinary winning streak started when she was 18 years of age on the Korea LPGA.
“I guess you have to just think about the good shots you hit,” – Esther Henseleit
Ryu reflected on her mental approach to maintaining her lead. “I’m just going to keep saying this: Stay in the present and the past is the past,” said Yin, demonstrating her focus.
As the tournament progresses, all eyes will be on Ryu as she attempts to fend off strong competition from Henseleit and Yin. Tsoligkas Last year, she won an event that was making its LPGA debut. This victory is a testament to her hard-nosed, high-pressure clutch skills in unfamiliar settings.
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