Golf fans love a runaway narrative. For the first half of the season, that narrative belonged exclusively to Nelly Korda, who tore through the fields with historic dominance. But golf rarely stays predictable for long. Haeran Ryu completely flipped the script by capturing the Evian Championship in France, securing her second straight major title in just three weeks.
This isn't just another trophy for the mantle. The 25-year-old South Korean star went from zero major titles to back-to-back crowns, joining Korda as a double major winner this season. It's the first time in the history of women's golf that two different players have managed to bag multiple majors in the exact same calendar year. If you thought the LPGA Tour was a one-woman show, you haven't been paying attention.
The Playoff Drama Beside Lake Geneva
Winning a major requires serious grit, but doing it right after carding a historic, record-shattering 11-under 60 on Saturday is a different kind of mental test. Ryu entered Sunday at Evian Resort Golf Club with a comfortable three-shot lead. Then, golf happened.
Her putter went cold. Dead cold. Hole after hole, putts lip-out or fell short. While Ryu ground out par after par, Canada's Brooke Henderson mounted an absolute charge. Henderson put together a wild final-round 64 that featured a hole-in-one on the par-3 eighth and a spectacular eagle on the par-5 18th to get to 19-under. Japanese rising star Aki Iwai was right there in the mix too, keeping pressure on until the very end.
Ryu stood on the 18th tee on Sunday afternoon without a single birdie on her scorecard. Think about the pressure. You shot a 60 yesterday, and now you can't buy a putt. Most players crumble under that weight. Ryu didn't. She struck a clutch approach shot on the final hole of regulation, finally rolled in her first birdie of the day to card a level-par 71, and forced a sudden-death playoff against Henderson.
Going back up the 18th hole for the playoff, the momentum shifted instantly. Henderson pulled her drive left into the thick rough, forcing a layup. Ryu bombed her drive straight down the middle of the fairway, stuck her second shot beautifully onto the green, and easily two-putted for birdie. Henderson could only muster a par. Game over.
Demolishing Major Records in France
While Sunday was a masterclass in survival, Saturday was a masterclass in perfection. Ryu's third-round 60 wasn't just good; it was the lowest single-round score ever recorded in the history of women's major championships.
To put that in perspective, the previous record of 61 was shared by Jeungeun Lee6, Leona Maguire, and Hyo Joo Kim. Ryu blew right past them with nine birdies and a spectacular eagle from 155 yards out using a 7-iron on the sixth hole. She actually had a realistic look at a 59 on the 18th hole before settling for a two-putt birdie.
"Before these three weeks, I didn't have a major championship — now two in a row," Ryu said while holding the trophy. "I am so happy, I can't believe it."
Her quick rise is even crazier when you look at the timeline. She won her maiden major at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club just 14 days prior. Throw in her $1.4 million winner's check from the Evian purse, and Ryu has officially surged past $9.9 million in career earnings since joining the LPGA Tour full-time in 2023.
What This Means for the Women's Game
For a long time, golf analysts lamented the lack of true, heavyweight rivalries in the women's game. We wanted drama. We wanted contrasting styles. Now, we have exactly that.
Nelly Korda owns the early season. Haeran Ryu owns the summer.
The immediate tactical takeaway for anyone watching Ryu is her ball-striking consistency. Even when her putter refused to cooperate during the final round, she hit fairways and greens when it mattered most. That kind of baseline reliability travels well to any course in the world.
With the final major of the year, the AIG Women's Open, just around the corner at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, the stakes are massive. The player who adjusts quickest to the shifting links conditions in England will take the crown, and right now, all eyes are on whether Ryu can pull off an unprecedented major hat-trick. Keep an eye on the Friday morning tee times; the opening rounds will dictate who sets the pace before the weekend pressure cooks the field.
