Evian-les-bains: Less than two weeks after her first LPGA victory, South Korean golfer Lee So-mi is making a strong bid for her first major title. Lee shot a four-under 67 in the opening round of the Amundi Evian Championship at the Evian Resort Golf Club, placing her in a nine-way tie for seventh place, just two strokes behind the five co-leaders. According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee, 26, secured her maiden LPGA win alongside compatriot Im Jin-hee at the Dow Championship, a team event, on June 29. This victory was part of an impressive run for Lee, who has achieved four top-10 finishes in her last five starts. During the first round at Evian, Lee recorded four birdies, one eagle, and two bogeys, successfully hitting 11 of 13 fairways and reaching 15 greens in regulation. Another South Korean player, Choi Hye-jin, also scored a 67. Starting on the 10th hole, Choi managed an even 36 with a birdie and a bogey on her first nine holes and closed with a 31, thanks to five birdies against one bogey. Choi, 25, ha s consistently performed well, with four consecutive top-10 finishes. Of her five top-10 placements this season, three occurred at each of the year's first three majors. However, she remains winless since joining the LPGA Tour in 2022. Additional South Korean players also made their mark. Rookie Yoon Ina shot a 68, placing her in a tie for 16th, while previous champions Ko Jin-young (2019) and Chun In-gee (2016) each scored a 70, tying for 33rd place. Hwang You-min, the sole Korea LPGA Tour member in the field, finished with a 75, and Ryu Hae-ran, ranked No. 5 among South Koreans globally, struggled with a 79 after making several errors. Ryu, named the 2023 LPGA Rookie of the Year, has faced challenges since her third career title win at the Black Desert Championship in May. She has not placed in the top 20 in her last five tournaments and has broken 70 in only five of her 18 rounds. The five players sharing the lead include Andrea Lee and Jennifer Kupcho from the United States, Gabriela Ruffels and Grace Kim from Australia, and Leona Maguire from Ireland. Minjee Lee of Australia, who won the previous major, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in June, is in sixth place after shooting a 66. The par-71 course played at 6,298 yards in the first round and had a scoring average of 71.924, as reported by the LPGA. The tournament champion will receive a prize of US$1.2 million.