American golfer says she is happy rule changes mean no one can suffer the way she did at the first women’s major of 2017

Who won the first women’s major of 2017? Some marquee golf events are better remembered for someone falling short rather than for the champion. Quiz fodder lies therein.

Ryu So-yeon is the answer to the question and she will try to retain the title at the ANA Inspiration in California which begins on Thursday . The last staging was overshadowed by such epic controversy involving Lexi Thompson, the player Ryu eventually defeated in a play-off, that virtually every leading name in golf had their say on the matter. Whether the American did indeed incorrectly replace her ball on a green was lost in the debate over whether it was appropriate for her to be informed of a four-shot penalty several holes later after intervention from those watching on television. Thompson went from the hunted to the hunter with one very public sanction.

Rules have subsequently been modified to avoid a repeat of a scenario where, not for the first time, golf’s law enforcers received widespread criticism. Thompson found herself unable to regain composure to the point where the South Korean Ryu emerged victorious. The impact on the champion, of course, was unfortunate. Impact on the loser? Evidently profound.

“That night was extremely rough,” Thompson said. “I was screaming, crying. You know, I’ve relived it for a while. I had nightmares about it, I still occasionally do. It’s been rough but the fans were behind me the weeks after, the months after.

Play Video 1:37 'Is this a joke?': Golfer Lexi Thompson in disbelief after four-stroke penalty – video

“I stayed off social media after that because the media was blowing it up and making me feel terrible. So I just tried not to pay attention to any of that. I just had to let it go and let time pass. I don’t look at myself that I changed the rule. I’m just happy that the rule changed so nobody else can be put through what I was put through last year.”

Thompson recovered to record two wins before the end of 2017. She begins this week as the world No 2, one place above the defending champion. Hurt still lingers; this time, she is the sentimental favourite and one clearly with a score to settle. For Ryu, it is a difficult and unfair movie.

“The thing was I was not the one in charge of taking care of all the rulings,” Ryu said. “All I had to do was only what I can do. So what I can do is keep playing golf, stay focused on each shot, each hole, and just seeing the tournament instead of seeing the hassles.

“Sometimes we’re out there and this player is too slow, or this ruling was bad, whatever, but those things, I cannot fix it. What I can do and what I can handle is just to do my thing.”

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If women’s golf would rather do without such drama this time around, there remain storylines capable of capturing the imagination. That Michelle Wie has a single major to her name at the age of 28 contradicts earlier, and extraordinary, hype. It also, however, has reasoning in the lengthy list of injuries which have prevented Wie from fulfilling outstanding potential. Victory as claimed with a closing 65 at the HSBC Women’s Championship in early March, Wie’s first LPGA Tour victory for four years, illustrated what she is still capable of if her body permits.

“When your back is hurting or neck is hurting, you can’t really do much,” Wie said. “It definitely helps to not have your hands hurt when you putt. So being healthy and pain-free definitely helps in all aspects of your game, even putting.

“There was a lot of doubt, especially when you don’t remember the last time you haven’t felt pain. It’s a hard road. Just having to change my swing so many times, working around my injuries. I thought a couple of them were going to be career-ending. But I had great people around me, a great support system, and we just took it slowly. Just got myself back healthy, and I was trying to stay healthy. That was definitely my number one goal.”

Wie joked when asked if she had discussed such a situation with Tiger Woods. “Every time we see each other we list off all the things. ‘How’s your ankle, how’s your back, how’s your everything?’ It’s a 20-minute conversation and then we can move on from there.”

There has, though, been an element of hope for Wie through Woods’s ongoing comeback from the depths of physical despair. “It’s so inspiring,” she said. “Just seeing what he’s gone through with his injuries, and then just seeing what his club-head speed is right now and everything, seeing how he’s hitting the ball and how he was coming back, it’s truly inspiring and motivating.”

Thompson should have more incentive than the rest of the field put together. A fascinating four days await.