Lytham st annes: Ryu Hae-ran is off to a strong start in her pursuit of a third consecutive LPGA major title. Ryu, ranked third in the world, shot a five-under 66 in the opening round of the AIG Women's Open at Royal Lytham and St. Annes Golf Club in Lytham St Annes, England. She recorded six birdies and one bogey, placing her in a tie for second with Shiho Kuwaki of Japan.

According to Yonhap News Agency, world No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand is leading the tournament after a bogey-free round of 64. Ryu is aiming to become the fifth LPGA player in history to win three majors in one season, having already claimed the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in June and the Amundi Evian Championship earlier this month. Additionally, she hopes to become the first player to win three consecutive LPGA majors since Park In-bee in 2013.

Ryu started her round with a birdie on the par-3 first hole and added three more birdies on the front nine. After a series of pars, she bogeyed the par-4 15th but quickly recovered with a birdie on the following hole, finishing with a birdie on the par-4 18th. "Honestly, this was a really difficult round," Ryu commented. "With so many bunkers on this course, I didn't hit my drive that much, but I still ended up in three bunkers. I made just one bogey, and so it was a good day in that sense. I think I will have to stay careful over the next three days."

Ryu expressed that hard and undulating fairways make predicting the outcome of her tee shots challenging. "Since I am teeing off in the afternoon tomorrow, it will probably be windier," Ryu noted. "I will have to accept my situation."

Having not won a major before this year's successes, Ryu stated that her recent performance has strengthened her mental game. "I have become calmer and I am not overthinking as much," the 25-year-old said. "I am now able to keep things simple, instead of worrying about where things may go wrong. Maybe because of that, my scores have improved."

Ryu is the sole South Korean in the top 10 after the opening round. Three players from South Korea, including the 18-year-old amateur Yang Yun-seo, are tied for 17th with scores of one-under 70. Meanwhile, world No. 1 Nelly Korda, who won the season's first two majors, shot a two-over 73, placing her in a tie for 53rd.