NORTON, Mass. — Reigning Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Haeran Ryu had herself a day during round two of the inaugural FM Championship, blitzing the field at TPC Boston with a bogey-free, 10-under 62 to hold the 36-hole lead for just the second time in her LPGA Tour career.
The Republic of Korea native kicked off her week in Norton, Mass., with a 3-under 69, recording one bogey and four birdies on Thursday to sit one back of 18-hole leader Marina Alex after day one in the Bay State.
Friday then saw the 23-year-old kick things into high gear. Ryu started quietly with three pars before rattling off four consecutive birdies on holes four through seven to move to 7-under overall with 11 holes to play.
She parred the eighth and ninth holes to turn in 32, grabbing another birdie on 10 to climb to 8-under for the tournament. A birdie on the par-5 12th hole got her to 9-under, and Ryu again carded a barrage of birdies on Nos. 14 through 17 to move to 13-under total, closing out her round with a par on the last to post her new career-low round on the LPGA Tour.
“(It was) just an amazing day because my shots, everything next to the hole and my putt, everything get in the hole,” said Ryu, who bested her previous career-low 18-hole score of 64 by two shots on Friday. “(I didn’t think a 10-under round was out there) because the green is so small and the course condition is really firm this week, but I love that condition because my shots (are more) accurate than other players, so I love this course. This green is so clear, so I just trusted my stroke and made so many birdies today. I like it.”
Ryu last posted a round of 64 or better during the third round of the CPKC Women’s Open last month, carding a 64 on day three at Earl Grey Golf Club. This week’s FM Championship marks her 19th start of the 2024 LPGA Tour season, and Ryu has earned eight top-10 finishes so far this year, five of which have been top-five results.
Two of those top fives came in major championships, as Ryu finished solo fifth at The Chevron Championship in April and then finished fifth again at The Amundi Evian Championship in July.
She is still searching for her second career LPGA Tour title, having become a Rolex First-Time Winner at last year’s Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G, and her second-round 62 has put the young talent in a perfect position to chase down another victory down over the weekend.
But even though this is just her second year on the LPGA Tour, Ryu is taking a veteran’s mindset into the next 36 holes, knowing that she will need to keep things rolling on Saturday and Sunday if she wants a shot at another LPGA Tour trophy come the end of the final round.
“Today’s shots (were) really good, but we have two more rounds,” Ryu said. “I just want to try to be more accurate for my iron and keep (hitting the) fairway for my driver.”
A trio of players are in a tie for second at 7-under and six shots back of Ryu, including Epson Tour alum Robyn Choi, American Yealimi Noh and Olympian Bianca Pagdanganan. Pagdanganan carded a flawless 6-under 66 on Friday, making six birdies at TPC Boston, three of which came consecutively on her first three holes.
It’s the first time that Pagdanganan has shot a round of 66 or better on the LPGA Tour since she carded a 66 on day three of the Mizuho Americas Open in May, and while it was an incredible round for the Philippines native, where her drive wound up landing on the final hole just might be what she ultimately remembers most from her second-round performance at the FM Championship.
“My caddie told me to hit it up the left side of the fairway (on 18) and directly into (the spotter’s) arms, so that’s what I did. I said this earlier, but I just follow orders,” said Pagdanganan. “It was funny because I couldn’t see how far it was going or if I was going to hit them, so when it landed and she didn’t flinch, I was like, okay, she’s fine.
“Then we walked off the tee, and they were telling us that, apparently, it landed in her arm. I was like, are you sure because she didn’t move at all. So my caddie and I kept walking. Sure enough, we walk up, and they were like, yeah, it landed on my arm, and I just tossed it back. I was like, well, you could have tossed it back in the fairway.”
LPGA Tour winners Lauren Coughlin and Jin Young Ko are tied for fifth at 6-under, with Celine Borge and Jeeno Thitikul in a share of seventh at 5-under. Three players round out the top 10 at 4-under overall, including Sarah Schmelzel, who was recently selected as a captain’s pick for the 2024 U.S. Solheim Cup team.
Massachusetts native Megan Khang and 11-time LPGA Tour winner Lexi Thompson are part of a logjam of nine players in a tie for 12th at 3-under. A total of 79 players made the cut at 2-over.
