Ryu Soyeon thrives on love of game

 The Korea Times   Friday, October 26, 2012

                                                                        LPGA golfer Ryu So-yeon
                                                                                                                                                     By Kang Seung-woo

 

LPGA Tour newcomer Ryu So-yeon has one championship title, is first in best rookie points, second for top-10 finishes, fourth in scoring average, second for under-par rounds and 10th on the money list.

The 22-year-old Korean always hoped to put up solid numbers and make a splash in this her first year on the U.S. tour. But she believes that her “enjoy-the-game” style is what has carried her so far.

“My biggest strength is that I really love golf and am happy playing, so when I struggle, I like getting over the hump,” Ryu said in an interview with The Korea Times. “Rather than quit on the shot and get frustrated with poor performances, I try to think positively in dealing with problems.”

Ryu, an eight-time KLPGA Tour winner, earned a U.S. tour card after winning the U.S. Women’s Open on a sponsor’s invitation last year but said she was under pressure from high expectations following her major victory.

However, her mindset has helped her deal with the burden.

“I try not to mind what people say and play hard, which contributed to consistent performances this season.”

Consistent might be an understatement.

Ryu claimed the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic in August, the only victory by a rookie this year.

However, she has a more impressive resume than her lone victory suggests in her debut year.

Ryu has 13 top-10 finishes, just one short of Stacey Lewis, while burying 74 birdies and completing 47 under-par rounds, both of which are second best on the tour. The Seoul native, who has earned $1,057,873 (1.16 billion won) this year, also has a fourth-best 70.47 average score in 21 appearances.

On the back of the numbers, she is the runaway leader in the best rookie race on 1,241 points, 504 ahead of runner-up American Lexi Thompson, known for her long tee shots and ranked 10th in the player of the year standings.

Despite what has turned out to be a great success for the first-year on the U.S. tour, those rankings including the Rookie of the Year trophy are not the biggest incentive for Ryu to come up big, she said.

“I have never crunched the rookie points. After winning (the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic), I visited the Golf Channel promotional truck and found the standings there for the first time. However, since then, I have not checked them at all although some tell me that I have a big lead,” she said.

“If I win Rookie of the Year, I will feel great. But I am more concerned with the process than the result, so I will be okay if I train hard and finish the season without claiming the title.”

Ryu did not even know how many top-10 finishes she had recorded this season ahead of the interview.

She also attributed her current success to an early setback. In the season opener, the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, she entered the final hole as co-leader, only to finish in a tie for second in a playoff.

“I think I might have ended up conceited and less focused because one win in one season will do for a rookie. Instead, I tasted defeat, and that motivated me to do better with a belief that there will be another opportunity to win If I play hard.”

Ryu, who turned pro in 2008, built a solid amateur career.

At the Doha Asian Games in 2006, she clinched two gold medals in the individual and team events that also featured current No. 1 Yani Tseng of Taiwan and Japan’s Mika Miyazato. She also topped the National Sports Festival.

And with golf slated to become an official Olympic event in 2016, she wants to represent her country once again and feel another gold medal around her neck.

“As an amateur, there were two golds up for grab at the Asian Games and National Sports Festival and now there is another on the line at the Summer Olympics,” she said.
 
ksw@koreatimes.co.kr