Ryu Hae-ran eyes third consecutive major title at AIG Women's Open

Ryu Hae-ran is chasing a third consecutive major title at the AIG Women's Open, the final major of the LPGA Tour season, with a purse of $10 million.

Ryu is among the top contenders at the tournament, which runs Thursday through Sunday at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club (par 72) in Lancashire, England. She claimed her first major title at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship last month, then won the Amundi Evian Championship three weeks later to claim back-to-back majors.

Winning three consecutive majors in a single season is a feat only three players have achieved in LPGA history: Babe Zaharias (1950), Mickey Wright (1961) and Park In-bee (2013). Standing on the verge of matching that record for the first time in 13 years, Ryu spoke with composure and humility at the official pre-tournament press conference.

Ryu struck a modest tone when asked about the pursuit. "The idea of going for three consecutive major wins doesn't even seem real to me," she said. "I was a player who had never won a major before. Rather than feeling greedy about a third straight win, I feel honored and grateful just to have the chance to try. Winning two consecutive majors is already an incredible achievement."

Ryu will tee off alongside world No. 1 Nelly Korda of the United States and Olympic gold medalist Lydia Ko of New Zealand in the first two rounds. "I get to play with Nelly Korda and Lydia Ko from the very first day," she said. "I'm going to enjoy it and learn a lot."

Royal Lytham & St Annes is a classic links course notorious for its punishing fairway bunkers and strong sea winds — conditions that pose a particular challenge for Ryu, who typically favors a high-trajectory ball flight.

"The wind affects the ball far more than I expected," Ryu said. "I don't have a huge amount of links experience, but I've played a few rounds on this type of course and knew what to expect. When it came down to actually hitting shots out here, though, the wind really does have a big impact."

She added that managing risk would be central to her game plan. "I'm not particularly strong in the wind, so rather than going for aggressive lines, the key strategy is to play safely around the greens and give myself good positions. If I can do that, I'll be grateful."

A total of 21 South Korean players are in the field, including Shin Ji-eun, who won the ISPS Handa Scottish Women's Open last week. The recent run of victories by Korean players on the LPGA Tour has added to the positive momentum around Ryu heading into the week.

"It's truly wonderful and worth celebrating that more Korean players are in the field and that my sunbae have been winning one after another recently," Ryu said. "Seeing them play so well makes me want to become an even better player myself. I'll do my best to follow the example they set."