Yu Hae-ran poses with her scorecard after shooting 11-under-par 60 in the third round. [Photo=LPGA]
Yu Hae-ran poses with her scorecard after shooting 11-under-par 60 in the third round. [Photo=LPGA]

Yu Hae-ran fired the lowest single-round score in major championship history — a 60 — to take a three-shot lead at the Amundi Evian Championship, the fourth major of the LPGA Tour season, which carries a $9.1 million purse.

Playing the third round Saturday at Evian Resort Golf Club (par 71) in Évian-les-Bains, France, Yu carded an eagle and nine birdies against no bogeys for an 11-under-par 60. Her 54-hole total of 19-under 194 put her three clear of Japan's Iwai Akie in sole possession of first place.

The 60 Yu posted Saturday is the lowest single-round score ever recorded in a men's or women's major. The previous record of 61 had been set three times at the Evian Championship — by Kim Hyo-joo in the first round in 2014, by Lee Jeong-eun in the second round in 2021, and by Leona Maguire in the final round of that same year.

Yu also set a new 54-hole scoring record in major championship play with her 19-under total. A 12-meter eagle putt on the par-5 18th hole stopped just short of the cup, denying her a round of 59, but her performance drew a standing ovation from golf fans around the world.

Speaking to reporters after the round, Yu said she only realized she had made history after finishing. "I didn't know this was a par-71 course, so I had no idea," she said. "I wasn't keeping track of my score on the greens, so I had no clue even on the 18th hole. But after I finished my putt and checked the score with my caddie, I thought, 'Oh my gosh, I shot 11-under,' and I got goosebumps. I was truly shocked, and my caddie confirmed it. I'm so happy right now."

Her caddie, Martin Vozec, said the two were simply focused on one hole at a time. "After Hae-ran holed out on the 18th green, she held up a finger to get my attention," he said. "At first I didn't know what it meant, and then she told me '11-under.' That's when I realized what had happened."

On her eagle at the sixth hole, Yu said she had been thinking only about making par. "The fairway was narrow and the green had a lot of undulation, so I just swung freely thinking I'd be happy with a par — and then I saw the ball go in the hole. I couldn't believe it. It was a truly amazing day," she said. Yu holed out from about 141 meters with her second shot on the par-4 hole for the eagle.

Yu had claimed her first major title just two weeks earlier at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, the season's third major, and she said letting go of mental pressure has been the key to her recent surge.

"Honestly, I used to put so much stress on myself because I wanted a major win so badly," she said. "But once I actually won one, I felt so much more at ease. I think letting go of that pressure has allowed me to fully enjoy my golf."

She added that her modest goal coming into the week made the moment feel surreal. "My humble goal before this tournament was just to survive the weekend and make the cut — and now being in this position feels like a dream," she said.

Yu hit only 61.5 percent of fairways Saturday but missed just two greens in regulation for an 88.9 percent greens-in-regulation rate. She also needed only 24 putts over 18 holes, a putting performance that underpinned the historic scorecard.

Yu opened her scoring with a birdie at the par-3 second hole, then added another at the par-3 fifth after sticking her tee shot close to the pin. The highlight came at the par-4 sixth, where she holed her second shot from about 141 meters with a 7-iron for an eagle that vaulted her into sole first place.

She kept the momentum going with birdies at the par-5 seventh and ninth holes to finish the front nine six under. The back nine was equally relentless — she birdied the 11th, 12th and 13th holes in succession to pull further clear of the field, then added birdies at the par-5 15th and 18th to complete the remarkable 60.

Yu now enters the final round chasing back-to-back major titles. "Winning consecutive majors is something I can only dream about," she said. "But the most important day is still ahead. Iwai and all the players chasing me are excellent, strong competitors. Rather than thinking about the record, I want to stay calm and focus on my own game on the final day."

Iwai, who had led after the opening round, carded eight birdies and two bogeys for a 6-under 65 Saturday to move to 16-under for the tournament in sole second place. Brooke Henderson of Canada and Japan's Saigo Mao share third at 12-under.

Lottie Woad of England, who had held the lead after the second round, dropped one shot to fall to 10-under, joining Thailand's Gino Titicun and Japan's Yamashita Miyu in a tie for sixth. Im Jin-hee shot a 4-under 67 to reach 9-under for the tournament in sole ninth place.


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