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COUNTRY: South Korea
DATE OF BIRTH: June 29, 1990
WORLD RANKING: 7
2014 (LPGA): 25 starts, 24 cuts, 1 win, 15 top-10s
2014 MONEY: $US1,468,804 (5th)
So Yeon Ryu moved to the LPGA Tour in 2012 already a major winner, having defeated countrywoman Hee Kyung Seo in a playoff for the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open. She was named Rookie of the Year in 2012 and moved into the top 10 on world rankings, a position she has maintained since. She is an extremely consistent player, with 15 top-10s in 2014 alone, only three missed cuts since her LPGA debut, and ten top-10s from 17 starts in majors, including three top-fives in the last four years of the U.S. Women’s Open. Ryu was part of the six-way 2012 playoff for this event at this course, is an excellent scoring player and is sure to be thereabouts.