What to expect from So Yeon Ryu in the upcoming tournament?
What to expect from So Yeon Ryu in the upcoming US Open?
So Yeon Ryu is the winner of 2011 U. S. Women’s Open. Will she be able to defend her title this year or was last year’s win a lucky break for the South Korean player?
Fans always cheer for their favourite player and presume that their player will win. Experts, however, look at the past performance of the player and try to predict the outcome of the tournament based on the players’ statistics and record.
Ryu is expected to defend her title but this may prove difficult this year. The 2012 line-up includes some of the best players in the world who already have performed great at the preceding tournaments.
Ryu has had a good year so far. She has posted 8 top-10 finishes, an impressive number by any standards. Her best standing came in ISPS Handa Australian Open, held in February 2012.
She tied for the second place, with a score of 289. This place was a great start of the year and proved to be a good omen for Ryu.
So far, she has played in a number of LPGA events and did well in many of them. This performance is taken as a prelude to the highlight of the year, the U.S. Women’s Open.
Many commentators now predict that she is ready to take on the top players of the world.
Many experts are not sure about Ryu’s performance in the upcoming U.S. Open. In their opinion, Ryu has to face two hurdles in defending her title. First is her less-than-brilliant performance and the second is her juggling of studies and golf.
Ryu has not been at her best in 2012. She has not posted a single win in a minor or major tournament so far. The best she has managed is a second place in ISPS Handa Australian Open. This bodes a defeat in the U.S. Women’s Open.
The second reason is more personal and appears to be the cause of all the troubles Ryu has faced in her pro career.
She is enrolled in Yonsei University, majoring in physical education. Studies put substantial strain on a professional career of any kind and golf is no exception.
Ryu’s win in the 2011 event earned her LPGA membership and an exemption status in the tournaments slated to be held in 2012 and beyond. This is a temptation that many golfers usually find hard to resist.
Talking about balancing golf and studies, Ryu said that her education is equally important to her. She is interested in her life beyond her pro career.
She said, “My plan if I retire from being a golf player, I really want to try sports marketing or sports or golf clothes designer”.
This loss of focus is dangerous for any golf player, experts say. The drive to win takes the backseat and the performance of the player suffers, as a result.
This is what seems to have happened to Ryu in 2012. Her performance has suffered because she is not concentrating hard enough on her golf.
This might not be the case of one considers the goal Ryu has announced for herself. She said that she dreams of joining the Korean star, Se Ri Pak, in the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: