Haeran Ryu shoots bogey-free 62 to build big lead at TPC Boston

NORTON, Mass. — Haeran Ryu kept making birdies as she looked to post her slowest round on the LPGA Tour on Friday, shooting a 9-under 62 to open up a six-stroke lead over early starters at the FM Championship.

Ryu had a string of four consecutive birdies on the front nine and back nine at the TPC Boston with its small targets and firm greens. And she had a simple explanation for it.

“Just a great day, because my shots, everything off the hole. And my putts, everything goes in the hole,” Ryu said. “Great day, yeah.”

Even more astonishing was the size of her lead. Ryu was at 13-under 131, six strokes ahead of Yealimi Noh and Robyn Choi, who each shot 68.

Marina Alex, who led after 18 holes with a bogey-free 68, followed that up with a 72 to leave her nine strokes behind.

Lauran Coughlin and Solheim Cup teammates Allisen Corpuz and Lexi Thompson were among the players in the afternoon, facing a tough task to stay within reach of Ryu, a 23-year-old from South Korea who was last season’s LPGA Rookie of the Year.

Birdie runs are nothing new for Ryu, a five-time winner on the Korea LPGA before earning her LPGA card as a Q-Series medalist. She won last year’s Walmart NW Arkansas Open with a 29 on the back nine.

She started her big run with a birdie on the par-4 fourth and then birdied the next three holes to seize control. She had two birdies on three holes to start the back nine and then made it four in a row starting on the 14th.

Ryu hit the ball so well that she thought she might have holed an eagle on the par-4 15th because of the cheer. Turns out there was someone in her cheering section who might have been over the top for a ball that landed about 4 feet away.

“My mom’s reaction is she almost gets the eagle, but the ball is still on the green,” Ryu said. “Just fun facts for today. My mom is really happy … only the ball is next to the hole. Yeah, I’m like, ‘Oh, I got an eagle.’ Just a birdie.”

The 62 was her lowest round by two strokes on the LPGA. She had previously shot a round of 64 three times.

Noh played bogey-free at TPC Boston, the course that previously hosted the PGA Tour for two decades, making just one birdie on the par 5s.

Megan Khang, a native of nearby Brockton, Massachusetts, had the largest cheering section, posting a 71 and standing at 4-under 140.

Khang was seen outside scoring with Ryu and someone asked her if she had given the South Korean any advice about the TPC Boston.

“I didn’t give her any advice. I thought, ‘What did you do?’ That was a super phenomenal round that she put together — flawless, I think. It’s hard to ignore that. You have to give credit where credit is due. I might ask her for advice after this.”

The FM Championship is in its first year and the company has already increased the prize money to $3.8 million since it announced its sponsorship of the LPGA event. FM has also offered free lodging to players and is giving a $1,000 stipend to anyone who misses the cut.

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