The USGA announced that So Yeon Ryu has accepted a special exemption for the 78th U.S. Women’s Open July 6-9, 2023, at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Ryu won the 2011 Women’s Open at The Broadmoor East Course in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in a three-hole aggregate playoff over fellow South Korean Hee Hyung Seo.
Ryu, 32, has a sneaky impressive record in the championship. She notched six top-five finishes at the Women’s Open from 2011 to 2019, taking a share of second in ’19 at the Country Club of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. Ryu has posted 17 rounds under par in her 13 starts, a statistic bested by only two players since 2000: two-time champion Inbee Park and Stacy Lewis.
