U.S. Women's Open champ Ryu eyes full LPGA season in 2012

INCHEON, July 27 (Yonhap) -- Ryu So-yeon, the reigning U.S. Women's Open champion on the LPGA Tour, said Wednesday she plans to play full-time on the world's biggest ladies' golf circuit starting next year.
Upon returning from France, where she tied for 32nd at the Evian Masters last weekend, Ryu said the sight of the media throng and fans at Incheon International Airport finally made her realize the magnitude of her U.S. Women's Open win earlier this month.
"The U.S. Women's Open is the tournament that everyone wants to win," Ryu said. It's the oldest among four major championships in women's golf. Ryu edged fellow Korean Seo Hee-kyung in a playoff.
"I have won seven times in Korea but I've been disappointed that I never won a major here," Ryu said. "But winning the biggest tournament there is has given me a great deal of confidence."
Ryu, 21, is still a full-time member of the Korea LPGA (KLPGA) Tour. She said she will start playing year-round in the U.S. in 2012.
"I want to focus on Korean events for the rest of this year and try to play full-time on the LPGA Tour in 2012," she said. "But I've been out of the country for a long time and haven't really discussed this issue with others."
Indeed, Ryu is so committed to the Korean tour that she turned down an invitation to the Women's British Open, the season's final major, and instead came home for a KLPGA event that starts Friday.
"I'd already promised to play over here, and I can play the British Open next year," Ryu said, adding her immediate goal this year is to win the Korean money title.


Ryu credited a new set of clubs and a swing change with helping her win the U.S. Women's Open.
"I got a new model of sets from the same manufacturer, and I got better control with my long irons," she said. "I also started using my big core muscles and my swing became more compact. It wasn't easy altering my swing but it was worth the time."
She said she still has a lot of work to do with her game.
"Compared to other LPGA pros, I am lacking in technique, especially with my short game," Ryu said. "Of course, the U.S. Open win was huge, but I am still going to try to take it one step at a time."
jeeho@yna.co.kr