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Ryu Hae-ran finishes LPGA's Maybank Championship in 3rd

Published: 27 Oct. 2024, 16:09 Updated: 27 Oct. 2024, 17:19

PAIK JI-HWAN
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Ryu Hae-ran watches her shot after teeing off on the second hole during the Maybank Championship at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Saturday. [AFP/YONHAP]

Ryu Hae-ran missed her third LPGA victory after finishing in third place with a 21-under-par, 267, at the Maybank Championship in Malaysia on Sunday.

Yin Ruoning claimed the title with a 23-under-par, 265, and bagged $450,000 in prize money from a $3 million total purse.

Ryu headed to the final round after finishing the third round at the top of the standings alongside joint frontrunners Yin and Jeeno Thitikul.

Ryu was off to a smooth start on Sunday, carding three birdies and six pars on the first nine holes. But Yin outshone her with four birdies and five pars, taking the frontrunner spot and pushing both Ryu and Thitikul to second.

Ryu then slipped down to third after carding a bogey on the par-4 17th hole, and failed to bounce back afterward.

Yin, meanwhile, continued her great run and held onto the sole frontrunner spot by making three more birdies and six more pars for a bogey-free seven-under-par, 65, to seal her fifth LPGA title.

Yin Ruoning, left, has water poured over her as she celebrates her victory in the final round of the Maybank Championship at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malyasia on Sunday. [AFP/YONHAP]

The win marks her third LPGA title on the 2024 Tour season.

The Maybank Championship title comes just two weeks after she won the Buick LPGA Shanghai in China during the Tour’s Asian swing. She also won the Dow Championship — a team event — alongside Thitikul in June.

Yin’s performance throughout the Maybank Championship was remarkable as she finished the three rounds after the first round bogey-free.

Thitikul finished as a runner-up with one stroke behind Yin, which also marked her second straight runner-up finish at the Maybank Championship after losing a playoff last year to eventual inaugural winner Celine Boutier, who still got a solid result at this year's Maybank Championship, tying for 12th place with a 12-under-par.

Sunday’s finish was the Thai golfer’s second runner-up finish in the 2024 LPGA season after the Kroger Queen City Championship in September.

Fellow Korean golfer Choi Hye-jin, meanwhile, managed the second best result by Korean in the field by tying for sixth place with a 15-under-par, 273. The result marks her third consecutive top-10 finish on the Tour.

Hanna Green, who won the BMW Ladies Championship in Korea on Oct. 20, also tied for sixth alongside Wei-Ling Hsu and Marina Alex.

With the end of the Maybank Championship, the LPGA Tour now heads to Japan for its final destination during this year’s Asian swing.

The Toto Japan Classic teeing off on Thursday will mark the end of the Asian swing, after which the Tour returns to the United States for the final phase of the 2024 season that runs through the end of November.

This season has seen two Korean golfers claim one title apiece so far, with Amy Yang winning the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship — one of the five LPGA majors — in June and Ryu securing the FM Championship title after an all-Korean playoff against Ko Jin-young in September.

Yang will finish as the only Korean with a major trophy this season, as no more majors are scheduled this year.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]