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Former World No.1 So Yeon Ryu got emotional after missing the cut at the 2024 Chevron Championship. The 33-year-old Korean golfer dropped a bombshell ahead of this week's Major, announcing her retirement from golf.
Playing in her final event, expectations were high for So Yeon Ryu at the Chevron Championship, but she struggled with her game and failed to make the cut. She shot two rounds of 77 and 74, finishing over par 7 after Friday's round.
Her score was below the cutline, and she returned home, having missed the cut in the final tournament of her career. Following Friday's round, So Yeon Ryu opened up about her performance. She expressed disappointment and found it hard to believe she missed the cut.
Emotionally reflecting on her performance, Ryu said (via Golf Monthly):
"I'm very numb now. I just cannot believe this is real. Nobody pushed me to retire. That was my decision. Still, I just cannot believe this is real. I felt teary all the time for sure, but I promised myself I was not going to cry because I feel like once I'm going to cry I'm going to lose it. I wanted to make sure this week is a celebratory week, not a sad week."
So Yeon Ryu began her game at the 2024 Chevron Championship on Thursday, April 18, with a bogey on the second hole. However, she quickly rebounded with a birdie on the par-5 fourth hole. Unfortunately, her joy was shortlived as she followed up with a double bogey on the sixth hole, accompanied by another bogey on the eighth. She managed only one birdie in the opening round, along with four bogeys and a double bogey, settling for a score of over par 5.
Her struggles continued into the second round, as Ryu again started with a double bogey on the par-4 second hole. Matters worsened with consecutive bogeys on the fifth and sixth holes.
Unlike the first round, she managed three birdies on Friday, along with three bogeys and a double bogey, resulting in a score of 2-over par 74 and a total score of over par 7. So Yeon Ryu finished in a tie for 110th place, failing to qualify for the final two rounds of the event.
The third round of the Chevron Championship is currently underway at The Woodlands in Texas, with Nelly Korda leading the event with a score of under par 9, tied with Jin Hee Im and Atthaya Thitikul at the time of writing.
Notably, Nelly Korda sets her eyes on winning her fifth consecutive event of the season this week.
A look into the professional career of So Yeon Ryu
So Yeon Ryu began her professional career in 2007 at the age of 17. She had a fantastic start with a victory in 2008 on the Cactus Tour at the Event #3 at Wigwam Red by six strokes. Later, she started playing on the LPGA of Korean Tour.
So Yeon Ryu boasts a successful career with 21 professional victories. She has won six LPGA Tour events and 10 tournaments on the LPGA of the Korean Tour. Additionally, she has also secured incredible victories on the Ladies European Tour and LPGA of Japan Tour. Besides this, Ryu has won two Majors in her career, which are the 2011 U.S. Women's Open and 2017 Chevron Championship.
