Sophomore Ryu Hae-ran finishes 5th at LPGA major

Korean golfer Ryu Hae-ran hits from the second tee during the final round of the Women’s PGA Championship golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club in Wash., June 23. AP-Yonhap

Korean sophomore Ryu Hae-ran has recorded her second straight top-10 finish at a major LPGA championship.

Ryu finished solo in fifth place at the Amundi Evian Championship at the Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, with a four-round total of 13-under 271.

Ryu shot a six-under 65 in the final round Sunday with six birdies, an eagle and two bogeys. She went five-under over her last four holes, including an eagle on the par-five 18th.

She finished six strokes behind the champion, Ayaka Furue of Japan.

It was Ryu’s sixth top-10 finish of the season and her third at a major. She also finished fifth at the Chevron Championship in April. She followed that up by finishing tied for 51st at the U.S. Women’s Open in early June, before finishing tied for ninth at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship later in June and then fifth at the Evian Championship.

Choi Hye-jin was the only other Korean in the top 10, finishing tied for seventh at 10-under after a final round of 70.

Amy Yang, who won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship title last month for her first major, remains the only Korean winner on the LPGA this season, finishing tied for 63rd at the Evian Championship.

Furue became the second LPGA major champion from Japan this year, joining U.S. Women’s Open champion Yuka Saso. Furue shot a final-round 65 with six birdies, one eagle and two bogeys to hold off Stephanie Kyriacou of Australia by one stroke. (Yonhap)