After a day filled with high scores, the last two Rookie of the Year winners on the LPGA Tour are tied for the lead at -9, looking for their first major title.
Haeran Ryu, the 24-year-old from Korea, was out on the course a few groups ahead of the final tee time, and gave the round of the day with a -4 68. Ryu made a string of birdies on the front nine, coming on holes 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9. Other than that, she worked to maintain like everyone else on the back nine.
Ryu, as usual, was elite with her ball striking. She hit 11 fairways while driving the ball nearly 290 yards and turned that into 14 greens in regulation. On hole nine, one of those missed greens, she chipped in from off the green.
While Ryu hasn’t won a major yet, she has plenty of experience being in contention, with five top-10 finishes since 2023 in majors. Just last year she was paired with Nelly Korda and Brooke Henderson in the final group on Sunday, but admitted to nerves. Expect a more poised performance from the two-time winner on tour this year.
Japan’s Mao Saigo, looking for her first win on the LPGA Tour, had a great day herself. Like Ryu, she took advantage of the front nine making three birdies and one bogey. She added a fourth birdie on the day on 13 to get to -3, the second best score of the day.
Saigo hit every single fairway Saturday and converted that into 14 greens hit. While she hasn’t won a major yet, she did finish top three at the 2022 Evian Championship.
Also in contention are Lindy Duncan (-8), Sarah Schmelzel (-7) and Yan Liu (-7) who are all looking for their first-career victories. There’s also a large group at -6 that includes Lexi Thompson and Ruoning Yin.
