The 25-year-old Ryu, who lifted the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship trophy on June 29, produced another memorable performance to become the latest player to dominate the 2026 LPGA major season.
Ryu entered the final round with a three-shot lead but struggled on the greens throughout the day. Despite recording only one birdie in her final-round level-par 71, she delivered when it mattered most, sinking a crucial birdie putt on the 18th hole to force a playoff with Henderson.
Henderson had mounted an impressive comeback with a brilliant eight-under-par 64, highlighted by three eagles and a spectacular hole-in-one at the par-3 eighth. The former Evian champion also eagled the 18th to join Ryu in extra holes.
Returning to the par-5 18th for the playoff, Ryu found the fairway and safely reached the green in two shots, while Henderson drove into the rough and was forced to lay up. Henderson could only manage par, allowing Ryu to calmly hole a short birdie putt to seal the championship.
“It was so tough today because my putts kept missing,” Ryu said after the victory. “I only made one birdie on the last hole. Before these three weeks, I didn’t have a major championship. Now I have two in a row. I’m so happy—I can’t believe it.”
Ryu’s victory follows her record-breaking third-round 60, an 11-under-par masterpiece that set the lowest round ever recorded in a women’s major championship.
Japan’s Aki Iwai finished third after narrowly missing a birdie putt on the 72nd hole that would have earned her a place in the playoff. Despite the disappointment, it marked the best major finish of her career.
The victory also adds another chapter to an extraordinary season in women’s golf. Earlier this year, world No. 1 Nelly Korda captured both the Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open, making 2026 the first season in LPGA history to feature two different players winning multiple major championships.
The final major of the 2026 women’s golf season, the AIG Women’s Open, will be played at Royal Lytham & St Annes in England from 30 July.
