World No. 3 Ryu Haeran Eyes Third Win... "No Lingering Effects from Injury"

The Annika driven by Gainbridge: Ryu Hae Ran seeks third win of the season
Returns to competition two weeks after finger injury
Korda, Choi Hyejin, Kim Seiyoung and Yoon Ina in the field

World No. 3 Hae Ran Ryu is aiming for her third win of the season.

Ryu will compete in The Annika driven by Gainbridge, an LPGA Tour event held on November 13 (Korea time) at Pelican Golf Club (par 70, 6,349 yards) in Belleair, Florida.

The tournament is hosted by golf legend Annika Sorenstam of Sweden. It has a total purse of $3.25 million, with $487,500 going to the winner. A field of 108 players will compete.

Ryu Haeran aims for victory at The Annika Driven by Gainbridge. AFP-Yonhap News Agency

The tournament was first held in 2020 as the Pelican Women's Championship. Its name was changed in 2023 to include Sorenstam's name, but the venue, Pelican Golf Club, has remained the same.

Ryu is having the best season of her career. She has competed in 16 tournaments and earned prize money in 15 of them. In June, she won the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, followed by the Amundi Evian Championship in July, securing back-to-back major victories. She ranks second in prize money ($4,704,438), Player of the Year points (176) and scoring average (69.44), and fourth in CME points (2,745).

Ryu withdrew from the Maybank Championship two weeks ago because of a finger injury. She skipped last week's Toto Japan Classic to focus on rest and rehabilitation. She tied for seventh at last year's The Annika driven by Gainbridge.

World No. 1 Nelly Korda is also returning to the field. She will be making her first appearance in a while, having last competed at the Solheim Cup in September. With four wins this year, including two majors, she clinched the Player of the Year award well ahead of the season's end.

Korda has dominated at this course. After winning back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022, she added another victory in 2024, giving her three wins at the tournament. One more win would bring her to the 27 points required to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame.

South Korea's Choi Hye-jin will once again seek the top spot. She has finished runner-up three times this season. Kim Sei-young, the inaugural champion in 2020, is also looking to win the tournament for a second time. Yoon Ina, Lim Jin-hee, Kim A-lim and Lee So-mi will also compete.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.