She didn’t slow down on the back nine, adding five more birdies, and came inches short of the second 59 in LPGA Tour history with an eagle putt at the last. 

Ryu settled for a tap-in birdie to post an 11-under 60 that was one shot better than the previous major championship record of 10 under — recorded three times before, all at the Evian Championship. 

Lowest scores in women’s major championship history

The men’s major championship record is 62, accomplished five times (first by Branden Grace at the 2017 Open Championship).

Perhaps the most incredible part of Ryu’s round was that she had no idea she was on the precipice of history, only realizing what she was accomplishing when she started counting up her score on the 18th green. 

It’s a priceless reaction, particularly when she turns to her caddie, who was clearly aware of what she was accomplishing and did not match her surprise. That’s how genuinely locked in Ryu was in the moment. Plenty of athletes claim to be focused on each individual shot, but Ryu legitimately had no idea she was in the midst of making major championship history. 

Ryu explained after the round that she knew she was playing well but did not realize that her eagle putt at the last was for the second 59 in LPGA Tour history (Annika Sorenstam (-13, 2001 Standard Register PING). Ryu had the eagle putt tracking but left it just short and settled for tying seven others for the second-lowest round in LPGA Tour history while setting a new all-time major championship mark. 

On Sunday, Ryu will face the challenge of backing up that historic round with a performance strong enough to capture back-to-back major titles and match Nelly Korda with two majors this season.