SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) -South Korea enjoyed one of its most successful weekends in international golf as Ryu Haeran captured her second consecutive major championship and Tom Kim ended a difficult two-year spell by claiming the Genesis Scottish Open, giving the country victories on both the LPGA and men's PGA Tour stages.
Ryu completed a stunning ascent to the summit of women's golf by winning the Amundi Evian Championship in France on Sunday, just two weeks after claiming the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Hazeltine.
The 25-year-old produced one of the most memorable performances in major championship history over the weekend.
She fired an 11-under-par 60 in the third round, the lowest score ever recorded in an LPGA major, before surviving a tense final day to defeat Canada's Brooke Henderson in a playoff.
After taking a three-shot lead into the final round, Ryu struggled on the greens and failed to make a birdie until the 72nd hole. Facing elimination, she rolled in a clutch birdie putt on the par-five 18th to force a playoff after Henderson eagled the closing hole.
Ryu then calmly reached the green in two on the first extra hole while Henderson found trouble off the tee. A routine birdie secured her second straight major title.
"This is just a dream right now," Ryu said after being drenched in champagne during the trophy presentation.
"Before these three weeks, I didn't have a major championship. Now two in a row. I am so happy. I can't believe it."
Her victory follows the Women's PGA Championship triumph at Hazeltine on June 29, making her the first South Korean woman to win back-to-back majors since Inbee Park accomplished the feat in 2013.
While Ryu was making history in France, Tom Kim delivered an equally emotional comeback on Scotland's east coast.
The 24-year-old carded a bogey-free six-under 64 to finish at 17 under and win the Genesis Scottish Open by two shots at The Renaissance Club, capturing his first title since 2023 and his biggest career victory.
Kim entered the final round one stroke behind but quickly separated himself from a crowded leaderboard by birdieing three of his opening seven holes before adding further birdies at the 10th, 12th and 16th. He closed without a bogey to claim the prestigious Rolex Series title worth $1.575 million.
The victory capped a remarkable turnaround after Kim's world ranking plunged outside the top 150 just a month ago following a prolonged slump stretching through much of 2025 and early 2026.
"Obviously I've had a tough couple of years," Kim said.
"I got to taste a lot of that humble pie and I got to really learn about myself. I'm still trying to grow, still trying to learn. Still got a long way to go."
"But this one I wanted to dedicate to the people that were in my corner the whole time and struggled with me and who celebrated with me."
Kim first announced himself to the golfing world with a third-place finish at the same event four years ago before winning three PGA Tour titles and representing the International Team twice in the Presidents Cup.
His Scottish Open victory now sends him into next week's Open Championship at Royal Birkdale with renewed confidence after already finishing third at last month's U.S. Open.
The title also guarantees Kim an invitation to the 2027 Masters Tournament.
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