Ryu Dominates Black Desert Championship with Wire-to-Wire Victory
Haeran Ryu captured the inaugural Black Desert Championship on Sunday with a commanding five-shot victory, marking the LPGA Tour’s return to Utah after a 61-year absence. Ryu fired an 8-under 64 in the final round, pulling away with a flawless back nine that included a pivotal eagle.
It’s Ryu’s second wire-to-wire victory on the LPGA Tour this year and her second time winning a newly-created event after claiming the FM Championship at TPC Boston last year.
The win represents an impressive bounce-back for Ryu, who shared the 54-hole lead at the Chevron Championship last week before stumbling with a final-round 76 at the year’s first major.
Despite the comfortable final margin, this one wasn’t a runaway until the back nine. Ryu clung to a one-shot lead over Esther Henseleit heading into the turn after missing three straight short birdie putts, including a 6-footer at the 10th that could have extended her advantage.
But everything clicked from there.
Ryu drained a 15-foot birdie at the 11th to build momentum, then delivered the knockout punch with an 8-foot eagle putt at the 13th that suddenly pushed her lead to four shots.
“Incredible day,” said Ryu, who’s now won tournaments in each of the last seven years dating back to her first victory as an 18-year-old on the Korea LPGA.
Henseleit made an early charge with a front-nine 31 to pull within a single shot, but couldn’t maintain that pace on the back nine. She finally added another birdie at the 18th to complete a 66, good for a tie for second with Ruoning Yin.
“Started out great on the front nine and then couldn’t quite keep up on the back,” Henseleit said. “Haeran played amazing and she really deserved to win it today.”
Yin, who vaulted into contention with a third-round 62, briefly threatened Ryu’s lead with four consecutive birdies starting at the 11th hole. The birdie run, all from inside 8 feet, got her within three shots.
Ryu responded like a champion, sticking her approach to 3 feet on the 15th for a birdie that pushed the lead back to four. Yin’s challenge ended with a double bogey from a bunker on the 16th.
“I play 70 good holes,” Yin said. “I made a triple on the first day and then a double on 16 today. But overall, I think my game is really solid.”
Yan Liu closed with a 65 to finish alone in fourth.
The shot of the day belonged to Stephanie Kyriacou, who finished with a flourish by holing a fairway metal on the par-5 18th for an albatross. The rare 2 on a par 5 gave her a 67 and a tie for sixth.
Ryu becomes the 10th different winner in 10 LPGA tournaments this season, highlighting the competitive depth on tour in 2023.
