Yu Hae-ran sits third at Amundi Evian Championship, three strokes off lead

Yu Hae-ran sits in a share of third place at the Amundi Evian Championship, the fourth major of the LPGA Tour season, which carries a purse of $9.1 million.

Yu carded a 3-under-par 68 in the second round Saturday (Korean Standard Time) at Evian Resort Golf Club (par 71, 6,479 yards) in Evian-les-Bains, France, moving to 8 under par and 134 for the tournament. She shares third place with Saigo Mao of Japan, last year's Chevron Championship winner.

Yu's round featured an eagle, three birdies and two bogeys. Her eagle on the par-5 15th hole came when a long putt rolled in from off the green. "The distance was quite a bit more than I expected, so both my caddie and I were surprised it went in," she said after the round. "I think a little luck was on my side."

Lottie Woad of England surged to the top of the leaderboard with a 7-under 64, posting eight birdies against one bogey to reach 11 under par and 131 for the tournament, one stroke clear of overnight leader Iwai Akie of Japan. World No. 4 Woad made five birdies over her final eight holes to complete the charge. She had finished third at this event last year as an amateur.

World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand fired a bogey-free 7-under 64 — an eagle and five birdies — to climb to 6 under par and 136 for the tournament. Thitikul, who had been in danger of missing the cut, moved into a share of fifth place alongside Charley Hull of England and Yamashita Miyu of Japan, among others.

Yu won her first major title at last month's KPMG Women's PGA Championship and has carried that momentum into this week. The prospect of winning consecutive majors looms, but she has kept a composed demeanor.

"Compared to the first round, the temperature rose and the greens hardened noticeably," Yu said after her round. "The green speed felt a bit slow. Because of that, I wasn't able to convert a few good birdie opportunities, which is a little disappointing."

"Maybe because I won my first major, I feel no pressure or stress about the tournament at all," she added. "That has helped me maintain good play. In a major, I think steady, par-focused management — rather than aggressive attacks — will be enough to produce a good result."

Im Jin-hee, who had shared third place with Yu after the opening round, posted an even-par 71 and dropped to 5 under par and 137 for the tournament, joining Hara Erika of Japan and Maja Stark of Sweden in a share of ninth place.

Yang Hee-young and Lee So-mi are tied for 18th at 4 under par and 138, a group that also includes Lydia Ko of New Zealand.

World No. 1 Nelly Korda of the United States made two birdies in an attempt to recover but finished at 1 over par and 143 for the tournament, missing the cut by one stroke. Defending champion Grace Kim of Australia, Ko Jin-young, Hwang Yu-min, Yoo Hyun-jo, Seo Gyo-rim and Choi Hye-jin also failed to advance.