Haeran Ryu shot an 11-under 60 on Saturday at the Amundi Evian Championship, the lowest round ever recorded in a major championship, and took a three-shot lead into the final day. She finished the third round at 19 under, turning a leaderboard into a record book entry in one afternoon.
The round had almost everything except the one score that would have made it even more dramatic. Ryu, who recorded nine birdies and an eagle on the par-four sixth hole, missed a 30-foot eagle putt on the 18th that would have given her a 59. Only after the putt fell short did she and her caddie add it up and realize how close she had come to something that had never happened before in a women’s major.
That is why her name now sits on top of the search results and the leaderboard at once. The previous Evian low-round record was 61, shared by Hyo Joo Kim, Jeong-eun Lee6 and Leona Maguire, and Ryu cut through that mark by one stroke while also pulling away from the field. Lottie Woad, who began the day with the lead, slid to a tie for sixth after a one-over 72, nine strokes behind. Akie Iwai was three back at 16 under, while Mao Saigo and Brooke Henderson were tied on 12 under after Henderson posted a 64 with eagles on the seventh and 15th holes.
What makes the round even more striking is that Ryu did not seem to be chasing history while she was making it. She won her first major two weeks earlier at the Women’s PGA Championship, and only after the final putt did the score settle into view: 11 under for the day, 19 under overall, and a three-shot buffer with one round left. Ryu said it felt like an amazing dream, but the harder reality is still ahead — one more day, one more leaderboard, and Akie still close enough to make her prove that a record round can become a second major title.
