So Yeon Ryu looking out for No. 1 at ShopRite LPGA
The South Korean can become the world's top-ranked golfer with a top-three finish at the Shore.
GALLOWAY, N.J. - So Yeon Ryu arrived at the Jersey Shore this week with a lot of No. 1s attached to her name - No. 1 on the LPGA money list as well as No. 1 in the tour's 2017 player of the year race, scoring average, and greens hit in regulation.
She hopes to walk away from the ShopRite LPGA Classic late Sunday afternoon with another - No. 1 in the world.
The 26-year-old citizen of South Korea begins the $1.5 million tournament Friday at the Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club ranked third in the world rankings behind top-ranked Lydia Ko and No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn. However, because Ko and Jutanugarn are not competing here, Ryu can reach the top with a top-three finish.
"Since I dreamed about the LPGA Tour, I also dreamed about becoming No. 1 player in the world," Ryu said Thursday before her Pro-Am round. "I haven't been this close, but right now I'm definitely close to No. 1, so that gave me extra motivation to keep working hard.
"Yeah, I definitely want to become No. 1 at some point and I'm working really hard for that. But I'd say the more important thing is enjoy this moment and enjoy playing golf and I believe that will help me get to No. 1."
Such history was made at the ShopRite before. In 2014, Stacy Lewis won this event and supplanted Inbee Park as world No. 1.
Ryu has been the best and most consistent player this year. She finished in the top 10 in each of her first eight events en route to $912,820 in earnings. In March, she won the ANA Inspiration - the tour's first major of the year - for her second career major title and fourth career victory.
During her champion's news conference, Ryu talked about those who called her a good player but not a great player because of a lack of wins. The title broke a streak of 61 tournaments without a victory, and she said she didn't allow the criticism to be a distraction to her.
"Even though we try not to think about other people's opinions, I always kind of hear about what other people are thinking about me," she said. "This is me living my dream, plus I always do my best and that's good enough. I think I got through it all hopefully, and I'm going to strongly believe my opinion instead of other people's opinions."
Ryu, who played the violin throughout her youth in addition to excelling at golf, won in her first start in the United States - the 2011 U.S. Women's Open at the Broadmoor in Colorado - and earned LPGA membership starting in 2012. She has won more than $1 million in each of her first five years on tour.
Ryu had her worst finish of the season last week at the LPGA Volvik Championship, a tie for 56th. She rallied in the second round to make the cut, her 64th made cut in a row, the top current streak on tour. She dismissed it as just one of those weeks.
"Even though I didn't really play well, I wasn't really feeling anything bad - my swing or my putting stroke or my short game, nothing was really going wrong," she said. "Some days it's not really going well. Fortunately I was able to make a cut so I really feel blessed about it."
Making her first appearance at the ShopRite LPGA Classic since 2014, Ryu said her primary focus will be on her putting stroke to deal with the greens at Seaview's Bay Course, which often becomes bumpy with a poa annua strain of grass.
"As long as you have a good stroke and good roll, you're still able to make it," she said. "So my mind-set is, I don't want to blame bumpy greens or the grass. I just want to focus on having a pure roll."
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