Yoo Hae-ran tied for third at Evian Championship, eyes second major title

Yoo Hae-ran made a strong start at the Evian Championship, the season's fourth major golf tournament, finishing the first round tied for third place. She carded a 5-under-par 66, positioning herself three shots behind the solo leader, Akie Iwai of Japan.

This performance marks Yoo's pursuit of a second consecutive major title, having recently claimed her first major at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship. Throughout the current LPGA Tour season, she has consistently performed well, securing one win and seven top-10 finishes in eleven starts. Her current standing places her second in the Player of the Year points race, behind world No. 1 Nelly Korda, and third in the CME Globe Race points.

Yoo's round included six birdies and one bogey. She birdied holes 12, 14, 16, and 18 on the front nine, continued her streak with a birdie on the third hole of the back nine, and recovered from a bogey on the eighth hole with a final birdie on the ninth.

Meanwhile, Iwai took the lead with an impressive 8-under-par 66, playing a bogey-free round with eight birdies. France's Perrine Delacour sits in second place, two shots behind Iwai. Other notable South Korean players also showed strong performances: Lim Jin-hee is tied for third with Yoo, Kang Min-ji is tied for eighth, and Choi Woon-jung and Lee So-mee are tied for 15th. World No. 3 Kim Hyo-joo is tied for 20th place after shooting a 2-under-par 69.