In her teens, Hae Ran Ryu was one of the top amateurs in Korea. Among her notable achievements was winning the 2018 Korean Women's Amateur and finishing fifth at the 2018 Asian Games. She also qualified for the 2016 US Women's Open, but missed the cut.
Ryu turned pro in mid-2019. Early in the year she played on the Jump Tour, but she claimed so many top fives that she was easily able to move up to the Dream Tour. In just two months on that tour, she earned four wins. She was given a chance the rest of the year to play on the full KLPGA, although she would not technically be a rookie until 2020.
Amazingly, in August, Ryu won her very first KLPGA event after moving up! The Samdasoo Masters had several LPGA stars in the field, but it didn't matter, as the 18-year-old beat them all!