Haeran Ryu won her first major championship at the 2026 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, finishing at 13-under 275 for a two-stroke victory over Ina Yoon at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota. The 25-year-old South Korean won from a difficult position after Thursday: an opening 73 left her T70 on the leaderboard, 10 strokes behind Yoon’s tournament-record 63.

That gap was the largest first-round deficit ever overcome to win this championship. The last player to erase a 10-shot opening-round deficit and win any women’s major was Carol Mann at the 1964 Women’s Western Open.

“I mean, it just feels like a dream right now,” Ryu said.

The victory, worth $1.95 million from a record $13 million purse, was Ryu’s fourth LPGA Tour win and first in a major. She is just the seventh player since 1990 to win in each of her first four seasons on tour, joining Karrie Webb, Grace Park, Yani Tseng, Brooke Henderson, Sei Young Kim, and Jin Young Ko.

How Ryu Closed It Out

Ryu’s comeback began with a second-round 64 on Friday, followed by a 68 on Saturday to reach 11-under and take a one-stroke lead into the final round. Ryu struggled early Sunday: she made three bogeys in her first five holes and dropped to 9-under, level with Henderson and one behind Dewi Weber, who had eagled the seventh.

From there, Ryu played her final 13 holes in a bogey-free 4-under. The pivotal stretch came around the turn, where she and Henderson traded birdies at the ninth and tenth. Both holed putts from around 14 feet at the par-4 10th, but Ryu’s came first, keeping her one clear at 12-under.

“I just thought like this is the comeback tournament,” she said of her mindset after Thursday’s round. “I just want to play on the weekend.”

A birdie at the 12th, set up by a precise approach to 14 feet, gave Ryu a two-stroke cushion that held the rest of the way. She finished with six closing pars while her challengers faltered. Henderson bogeyed the 14th after a wayward drive, Weber dropped shots late, and Yoon’s back nine produced too many pars when birdies were needed.

Ryu’s ball-striking underpinned the victory. Ryu hit 10 of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens on Sunday and led the field for the week in Strokes Gained: Total, Greens in Regulation, and Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green.

Leaderboard

Yoon finished at 11-under 277, her best LPGA Tour result. She had set the championship record for the lowest 36-hole score relative to par at 12-under. “Haeran played unbelievable today,” Yoon said.

Henderson and Weber shared third at 10-under 278. Weber’s finish was the best major result by a player representing the Netherlands. Henderson recorded her ninth career major top five. Nelly Korda, who entered seeking a third consecutive major title, finished T8, extending her 2026 streak to nine straight top-10 finishes in official stroke-play events to start the season.

“I’m so happy I got the major title and then now, at the next tournament, they will introduce me (as) major champion Haeran Ryu,” Ryu said. “It’s amazing for me.”

Nicole Felce Earns Low PGA/LPGA Professional Honors

Nicole Felce, Assistant Golf Professional at Countryside CC in Clearwater, Fla., earned Low PGA of America and LPGA Professional honors at the 2026 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in only her second appearance in the event.

Felce ended 11-over 299 after rounds of 75-70-81-73. She was the only player on the eight-member Corebridge Financial Team to get through to the weekend, and the first PGA or LPGA Professional to make the cut at the championship since Jimin Kang at Hazeltine in 2019. Jennifer Bermingham, who made the cut in 2016 at Sahalee Country Club, is the only other professional to have done it since the PGA of America and LPGA partnered on the event in 2015.

“It’s really, really special to be here,” Felce said after her round. “Making the weekend was my goal this week, so to have done it and just to soak it all in and to have played along with the world’s best was really special and really amazing and really humbling.”

The Path to Hazeltine

Felce earned her spot in the field through the Corebridge Financial Team, which draws its members from the top finishers at the LPGA Professionals Championship and the PGA Women’s Stroke Play Championship. She finished fourth at the 2025 LPGA Professionals Championship to secure her second consecutive start.

As a member of the North Florida PGA Section, Felce became an LPGA Class A Member in May 2025 and was elected to PGA of America Class A Membership in February 2026. She played LPGA Q-School in the summer of 2022 in Palm Springs, Calif., and picked up partial Epson Tour status in the 2023 season.

Back to the Shop, Then Q-School

Her week at Hazeltine has not changed her longer-term aim. She plans to enter Q-School in September with the goal of earning a place on Tour.

“I’m going to Q-School this fall, so ultimately the goal is to play on Tour,” Felce said. “That’s my main goal. I am glad I got my certifications under my belt, so I always will have that, but definitely want to be on Tour.”

“Honestly, the fans made it super memorable. Just to have the PGA and the LPGA also here and everyone here supporting meant a lot to me. I’m really honored to be a part of two great organizations.”

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