'New Tournament Low Score' Yoo Hae-ran's Crazy Shot Power, Aiming for Back-to-Back Major Wins... Leading Alone After Round 3 of the Evian Championship [LPGA]

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Yoo Hae-ran (25, Daol Financial Group) has taken a step closer to consecutive major titles on the LPGA Tour.

On the 11th (Korean time), Yoo Hae-ran carded an 11-under-par 60 in the third round of the Amundi Evian Championship at Évian Resort Golf Club (par 71) in Évian-les-Bains, France, without a single bogey, recording one eagle and nine birdies.

Yoo Hae-ran set a new tournament record for the lowest score over 18 holes, finishing with a cumulative total of 19-under-par 194, placing her three strokes ahead of Japan's Aki Iwai, who sits in second place at 16-under-par.

After claiming her first major title by winning last month's KPMG Women's PGA Championship, Yoo Hae-ran now aims for consecutive major victories and her fifth career win on the LPGA Tour.

On this day, Yoo Hae-ran dramatically reduced her score with pinpoint iron play, achieving an 88% greens-in-regulation rate.

Starting from the first hole (par 4), her tee shot veered left into the rough toward the gallery, but she successfully saved par by landing her second shot on the green and making two putts. On the second hole (par 3), she secured a birdie with a perfect iron tee shot. At the third hole (par 4), her second shot rolled off the green toward a bunker, yet she executed a flawless escape shot to save par once again.

On the fifth hole (par 3), Yoo Hae-ran narrowly missed a hole-in-one after her ball struck the flagstick but still recorded a birdie. She continued her impressive shot-making on the sixth hole (par 4), where her second shot went directly into the cup for a shot eagle.

She also birdied the seventh hole (par 5) and missed a birdie opportunity at the eighth hole (par 3), but she reduced her score again on the ninth hole (par 5) and the first hole of the back nine, the tenth hole (par 4). At the fourteenth hole (par 3), Yoo Hae-ran boldly attacked the pin to secure another birdie. On the fifteenth hole (par 5), although her second shot headed toward a bunker, she escaped successfully and sank a long-distance birdie putt, breaking into a smile.

She displayed overwhelming momentum until the very end, closing out the third round with consecutive birdies on the seventeenth (par 4) and eighteenth holes (par 5).

Yoo Hae-ran broke the previous tournament low score record by one stroke; the prior record was 60, held by Kim Hyo-joo and Lee Jeong-eun. After the round, Yoo Hae-ran said, "When I made my putts and checked the score with my caddie, I realized it was 11-under-par. It was truly surprising. I'm so happy." She also explained about her shot eagle on the sixth hole: "The hole is narrow and the green slopes slightly, making it tricky. I wanted to make par and hit a seven-iron, but the shot felt great. As I walked toward the green, the ball went in, which made me extremely happy and surprised."

Yoo Hae-ran remarked, "It feels like an unbelievable dream. While I hope this dream comes true, there is still one day left, and Aki Iwai is also a fantastic player. I believe she will perform well."

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*This content was translated by AI.