Golf Babes

The great Korean golfers on the LPGA Tour occasionally head back home to play in a KLPGA tournament. And So Yeon Ryu did just that this week. Did it pay off? You bet! Ryu won the HighOne Resort Ladies Open today by two shots over runner-up Ha-Na Jang, shooting rounds of 71, 67, 69 and 70. This is the ninth career win on the KLPGA for Ryu, but her first since 2012. Ryu won seven times on the KLPGA from 2008 through 2011, including five times in 2009. But since 2011 So Yeon has made only a few appearances a year on the KLPGA. That's because she won the 2011 U.S. Women's Open, becoming an LPGA member as a result. And she has three career wins to date on the LPGA. Ryu went into the week holding the No. 4 spot in the women's world rankings.

Jessica Vasilic is now a very rare breed of college golfer: She's a college golfer who's won a professional tournament before winning an NCAA tournament. Vasilic was the champ at the Cactus Tour tournament that finished today at Tres Rios in Goodyear, Ariz. (event No. 19 on the Cactus Tour schedule). Vasilic, playing as an amateur, started with rounds of 69 and 72. Then today, in the final round, she shot her best score of the tournament, 68, to win by one shot. She finished at 7-under 209. As an amateur, she doesn't win any money. Bummer. But Jessica does get to go back to the University of Arizona and brag to the other golfers about winning a pro tournament. Vasilic will be a junior during the coming college golf season. Originally from Gothenburg, Sweden, Vasilic went to high school in California. She was a 3-time all-conference golfer at Canyon High School in Anaheim Hills, Calif., and a 3-time AJGA All-America selection. She's also a member of the Swedi

Something amazing happened in golf today, but since it's also the first day of the PGA Championship what happened will probably be overlooked by most golf fans. What was it? The longest sudden-death playoff in golf history! At the LET Access Series' Larvik Ladies Open in Norway (co-sanctioned by the Nordea Tour), Johanna Gustavsson and Natalia Escuriola faced off in a sudden-death playoff for the title. And it took 14 holes to determine the winner. Fourteen ! And that winner was ... Gustavsson. It was the first LETAS victory for the 22-year-old Swede, who now goes to fourth on the money list. The LETAS feeds into the Ladies European Tour, so if Gustavsson can maintain her money list ranking she'll graduate to the LET for next season. The LETAS described the playoff this way: "Gustavsson and Escuriola both recorded an opening bogey on the first play-off hole, the 368 yard par four 9th, which they played three times before alternating between the 1st and 9th

(Photos courtesy Elise Lobb) Elise Lobb is a beauty queen and a YouTube videographer with a growing following and impressive content alliances. At only 20 years old, she doesn't have a long past - but it's a past that does include golf. And golf is definitely a part of her future, both on and off the course. Don't be surprised if Lobb shows up on your television or mobile screen someday, broadcasting from a golf tournament or studio. "I am currently considering going back to play collegiate golf because I have realized golf is a part of who I am," Elise told us. "If everything works out I would love to finish my college career playing golf and eventually working for the Golf Channel." Lobb started golfing at age 3, and began playing on her varsity high school team when she was only in sixth grade. By the time she herself got to high school, she was also competing on the pageant circuit. She was Miss Jacksonville Teen USA in 2013 and finished

Charley Hull is all grown up. And vacationing in Ibiza. And what does a young woman do in Ibiza? Lots of things, and they (almost) all involve bikinis. (Photo: Instagram/charleyhull12) Here's hoping Charley keeps up posted on her vacay exploits this week .... How do we know she's in Ibiza? She told us when she departed: Off it #ibiza bye bye 👍 — Charley hull (@HullCharley) August 4, 2015 And enjoyed a glass of bubbly upon arrival: ✈️🍹 pic.twitter.com/W4pUE9phnW — Charley hull (@HullCharley) August 5, 2015 Updates : We wished above for Charley to keep us updated with more pics ... and Charley, bless her, is obliging on Instagram. Here's a new bikini pic: And that's Charley in the background of the following photo, behind the friend she's traveling with: More Charley Hull pics in Golf Babes

Annie Park has only been a pro since May. But she just won her second tournament on the Symetra Tour. Annie caught Lee Lopez in the final round - that's some USC-on-UCLA crime - of the PHC Classic, which concluded on Aug. 2. She did it with birdies on the final two holes. And then in the playoff between the two, Park won it with a birdie on the third extra hole. This is just Park's sixth start as a pro after leaving Southern Cal following the end of her junior season. In those six starts, Annie has finished 19th, 47th, 13th, first, 15th and first again. That's a pretty good start to your rookie season! Going into the PHC Classic, Park led the Symetra Tour in scoring average, and she was 15th in money. With her latest first-place check, she'll move into the Top 5 and be in great position to play her way onto the LPGA Tour for next season. Here's the winning putt: She's done it AGAIN: @AnnieParkUSC WINS @paysbig Classic! pic.twitter.com/UdXiXZ0ymn

(Photos courtesy of Nicole Zhang) Nicole Zhang has a strong pedigree in golf and currently plays on the Symetra Tour. But she also has a strong pedigree in business and has already created a product and founded a company to sell it. For now, Nicole enjoys following both paths - golf and business - simultaneously. But it's not always easy, and at some point she'll probably have to choose between the two. The company Nicole founded before even graduating from Notre Dame's business school is called Yogapeople and it makes yoga mat bags - colorful, attractive bags "that reflect the beauty of yoga." Nicole will also be "launching an app that has a social mission," she told Golf Babes. It's an app (due this Fall) that helps people give back to local charities with the help of corporate sponsors. "My hope is that the app will get people more involved with charitable work, and also provide much needed funding to many of the smaller charities

One of the many young Finns who are up-and-coming in the golf world is Krista Bakker, a 21-year-old who just notched her first victory on the LET Access Series. Bakker won the CreditGate24 GolfSeries Hamburg Open at Treudelberg Golf & Country Club in Hamburg, Germany, which concluded today (Saturday, Aug. 1, 2015). Bakker took a 3-shot lead after the second round, which meant she went into the final round of a pro tournament with a lead for the first time in her career. And she held up under that pressure, winning by three shots. Krista's previous best this year on the LET Access Series was 13th at the CitizenGuard LETAS Trophy in Belgium. She also has gotten into four LET events this year with a best finish so far of 39th. Krista turned pro after winning one of the LET's Q-School pre-qualifiers in late 2013, and then finishing in the Top 30 in the Q-School proper at the end of 2013. She was a rookie on the LET in 2014 and had a best finish of 9th at the Deloitte