It takes a lot to leave a professional golfer starstruck.
Golf is a famously affluent game, and its attraction to celebrities and important people means those who play it at the highest level often have a high threshold for celebrity. Actors and actresses? Eh. Heads of state? Meh. Titans of industry? Bleh.
But that didn’t stop one LPGA star from rising on Thursday morning at the Chevron Championship with an unusual case of the pre-round jitters. The reason why? The opportunity to compete against — and alongside — her childhood hero.
Haeran Ryu was thrilled when she saw the pairing sheet for the first two rounds at the first major of the year, because it revealed she would be paired with Yani Tseng. Ryu, now 24, grew up watching Tseng, now 36, at the height of her powers, winning 5 major championships between 2008 and 2011. As a child in South Korea, Tseng was Ryu’s favorite player — and the model for much of her pro game.
“Yeah, my father is a big fan of Yani Tseng,” Ryu said Thursday. “Before I turned pro, she was still on the LPGA Tour. [When] Yani [was] on top of the leaderboard, he told me, ‘Hey, come here and you can see this Golf Channel. Yani is going to the top. Yes!'”
As she arrived on site at Carlton Woods on Thursday morning, Ryu made a point to introduce herself to Tseng, and to share some of Ryu’s memories watching Tseng alongside her father.
“She said, ‘I’m so thankful for your dad,'” Ryu said. “Yeah, it was an incredible day.”
There was a sweet bit of irony in those memories for Ryu on Thursday at the Chevron Championship, because back home in her native Korea, her family was able to watch as she vaulted to the top of the leaderboard alongside her longtime hero.
Ryu shot a bogey-free, 7-under 65 on Thursday at the Chevron, good enough for a tie for the 18-hole lead at the first major of the season. Ryu will have the opportunity to share some turf with Tseng for at least another day at Carlton Woods — the two will tee off in Friday’s 2:10 p.m. starting time alongside fellow star Jeeno Thitikul.
After that, though, the childhood dream will end for Ryu in order to continue her pursuit of another one: her first major championship victory.
If Ryu delivers another 3 rounds like her opening one on Thursday, she might find starstruck has a whole new meaning.
