Despite a valiant 6-under 65 effort in the final round, Republic of Korea native Haeran Ryu ultimately fell to Thailand’s Chanettee Wannasaen at the Dana Open, losing by just one shot to her fellow 2023 LPGA Tour rookie in Sylvania, Ohio.
She began the day three shots back of Wannasaen at 13-under, only making one birdie on the front nine to move to 14-under total, now five shots back of the Thailand native at the turn. But Ryu turned up the heat on her back nine as the Wannasaen began to cool, racking up four birdies in a six-hole stretch from 10 to 15 to get to 18-under, now tied for the lead with the 2023 Portland Classic champion, who went bogey-par-birdie-bogey on holes 10, 11, 12 and 13 to drop back to 18-under.
Ryu then bogeyed the par-4 16th hole to slip back to 17-under and sit one shot behind Wannasaen with two holes to play, and the pair ultimately matched birdies on holes 17 and 18, giving Wannasaen a one-shot victory over Ryu.
But, the reigning Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year was far from disappointed with the final result, and Ryu was proud of the fight she showed down the stretch, particularly on the final hole with an LPGA Tour title on the line.
“I think last hole,” Ryu said when asked for some of her highlights from the week. “Try not to short shot, I think almost five, six meters birdie, and, okay, I got to try to the birdie or eagle, and then I want to go to playoff. But really good shots and almost get it in. I think that is highlight I think this week.”
Her runner-up showing at Highland Meadows Golf Club is Ryu’s seventh top-10 result of the 2024 LPGA Tour season and her third in her last four starts. She tied for ninth in February at the Honda LPGA Thailand, doing so again at the T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards in April and then following that up with a solo fifth performance at The Chevron Championship.
Ryu finished third the very next week at the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro, earning her second top-10 result in a major championship this season after tying for ninth at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club in June. She grabbed another major top 10 last week at The Amundi Evian Championship in France, finishing solo fifth at Evian Resort Golf Club, riding that momentum to a season-best solo second this week in Ohio.
While some players might be disappointed to not have won yet this year with those kinds of 2024 results, Ryu is feeling as confident as ever about her game as the latter half of her second year on Tour looms large.
She’s slated to tee it up in next week’s CPKC Women’s Open before taking a couple of weeks off and then heading to Europe for the Women’s Scottish Open and AIG Women’s Open in August.
And considering how well she’s been playing as of late, it’s not a stretch to think that Ryu might add a second LPGA Tour title to her already impressive young resume, having already become a Rolex First-Time Winner at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G as a rookie in 2023.
“Before, my best spot is third at the JM Eagle, and this week is second at the Dana,” said Ryu. “I think next one is winner, I think. I think now my first really good and hopefully move up for next tournament.”
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