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EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France (AP) — Haeran Ryu set the scoring record for LPGA majors on Saturday with an 11-under 60, giving the South Korean player a three-shot lead in the Evian Championship as she goes for a second straight major.
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Two weeks after winning her first major at the Women’s PGA Championship, Ryu birdied four of her last five holes at Evian Golf Resort. She had a chance at tying the LPGA scoring record of 59 but settled for a lengthy two-putt birdie putt on the closing hole.
Ryu didn’t know what she had done until she looked at the scorecard and counted all the sub-par holes — nine birdies and an eagle — and realized it was a par 71.
“But after the putt and I counted my score with my caddie,” she said. “Oh my God, it’s 11-under par today. It was so amazing. My caddie says, ‘Yep.’ I’m so happy right now.”
Her 60 broke by one shot the record for lowest round in an LPGA major. Leona Maguire and Jeung-eun Lee6 in 2021, and Hyo Joo Kim in 2014, each shot 61 at the Evian Championship, which was designated an LPGA major in 2013.
The lowest round in a men’s major is 62 by four players — Branden Grace at Royal Birkdale in the 2017 British Open, Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler in the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, and Schauffele and Shane Lowry in the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla.
Next up for Ryu is to finish it off. Her record day put her at 18-under 194 — another LPGA major record — for a three-shot lead over Aki Iwai of Japan, who shot 65.
The next closest players to Ryu were seven shots behind — Brooke Henderson (64) and Mao Saigo of Japan (67).
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Lottie Woad of England, who began the third round with a one-shot lead, struggled to a 72 and fell nine shots off the pace.
Ryu picked up birdies on both par 3s on the front nine, and then holed out for eagle with a 7-iron from 155 yards on the par-4 sixth hole.
“That hole is a little tricky because little narrow and the green is little hilly. So that’s why I just want to make par on that hole,” Ryu said. “I hit 7-iron there and then it’s pretty good shot there. I just walking towards (the green) and it’s going in. So it was so happy and surprise there.”
Only one of the three previous players to shoot 61 at the Evian — Kim — went on to win, and Ryu realizes she still has work left. Iwai already has made 21 birdies this week to offset some of her mistakes and is three behind — the same margin Ryu faced at the start of the day.
“Last year I missed the cut, and so I want revenge,” Iwai said. “Really optimistic tomorrow. I just keep going.”
Ryu had minor back surgery after a runner-up finish at the Kroger Queen City Championship, returning just over a month later to win her first major in the Women’s PGA at Hazeltine. Now she has a chance to join Nelly Korda, who missed the cut at Evian, as a double major winner this year.
Two majors in three weeks was a lot for her to digest.
“That is amazing, amazing dream,” Ryu said. “So I just want that one to come true, but we have one more day and Aki is pretty good player and everybody is so good player, so I just doing pretty well.”
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