▲ Yoo Hae-ran
Yoo Hae-ran maintained her position in a tie for third place during the second round of the Evian Championship, the fourth major tournament of the women's golf season, with a total prize purse of 9.1 million dollars, keeping her title hopes alive.
On July 10 (local time), Yoo carded a 3-under-par 68, featuring one eagle, three birdies, and two bogeys, at the Evian Resort Golf Club (par 71) in Evian-les-Bains, France.
Having tied for third with a 5-under-par performance in the first round, Yoo finished with a two-round total of 8-under-par 134, remaining in a tie for third place.
She sits three strokes behind Lottie Woad (England), who took the sole lead with a total of 11-under-par 131.
Yoo, who secured her fourth career LPGA Tour victory by winning her first major title at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship late last month, is now aiming for back-to-back major wins.
Starting her round on the 1st hole, Yoo faced an early setback with a bogey on the par-4 4th hole. However, she turned the momentum around with consecutive birdies on the 9th (par 5) and 10th (par 3) holes.
On the 15th hole (par 5), her second shot landed just short of the green, but she successfully holed out with her putter for an eagle.
Despite another bogey on the 17th hole (par 4), Yoo recovered with a birdie on the final 18th hole (par 5).
Woad, a former world No. 1 amateur who has won once each in the last two years on the LPGA Tour, shot a 7-under round to take the sole lead and set her sights on her first major championship.
First-round leader Akie Iwai (Japan) managed only a 2-under round, slipping to second place (10-under 132), one stroke behind the leader.
World No. 2 Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand) reached the halfway point in a tie for fifth (6-under 136), while Im Jin-hee tied for ninth (5-under 137). Amy Yang and Lee So-mi are tied for 18th (4-under 138).
Lydia Ko (New Zealand), the 2015 champion of this tournament, finished the second round in a tie for 18th with her husband, Chung Jun, serving as her caddie.
Chung Jun is the son of Chung Tae-young, Vice Chairman of Hyundai Card.
Yoon Ina, Kim Sei-young, and Joo Soo-bin tied for 23rd (3-under 139), while Kim A-lim and Chella Choi tied for 38th (2-under 140) to make the cut.
World No. 3 Kim Hyo-joo, the 2014 champion, barely made the cut in a tie for 57th (even par 142), as did high school amateur Yang Yun-seo.
World No. 1 Nelly Korda (USA) shaved two strokes off her score but finished with a two-round total of 1-over-par 143, missing the cut by one stroke in a tie for 67th.
Korda has been leading major statistical categories this year after winning two majors, the Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women's Open.
This marks Korda's first missed cut in an LPGA Tour event in two years, since the Women's PGA Championship in June 2024.
(Photo: Getty Images)
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