Leona Maguire is four shots back heading for the final day of the Evian Championship after carding a one-under-par 70 in her third round on Saturday.
Maguire was one over through her first nine holes, but birdies at the 14th and 17th got her moving in the right direction again. She'll tee off tomorrow within striking distance of England's Cara Gainer and Australia's Gabriela Ruffels, who share a one-stroke lead on 11 under.
Gainer shot a scorching seven-under 64 and Ruffels got home in 66 at the Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France.
World number two Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, three-time major winner Minjee Lee, her fellow Australian Grace Kim, and second-round leader Somi Lee of South Korea are all 10 under at the fourth of this season's five LPGA Tour majors.
Gainer, 29, picked up her maiden title on the Ladies European Tour in Morocco in February. She tied for third at an LET event at this course in May.
Gainer put herself into contention for her first major victory with six birdies, an eagle at the par-five seventh hole and one bogey.
Ruffels, 25, has three titles on the Epson Tour but her best finish in a major was a tie for 13th at the US Women's Open in 2020. She opened the third round with her only bogey of the day before posting six birdies, including four during a five-hole stretch from 11 to 15.
Japan's Yuri Yoshida and China's Ruixin Liu posted the low rounds of the day with a 63. Yoshida finished a clean round with eight birdies and is tied for seventh at nine-under, while Liu collected seven birdies and an eagle at seven to move into a tie for 12th at seven under.
Andrea Lee (71 on Saturday) and Jennifer Kupcho (72) are the leading Americans in the field and part of the group in 12th place, four shots off the lead.
Speaking after her round, joint-leader Ruffels said: "I'm having so much fun. This is what you practise for, what you play for. I’ve been working so hard and it’s great to see the hard work pay off.
"This is the position you want to be in. I’m for sure looking forward to tomorrow.
"I think my ball-striking has been good for a while and it’s kind of showing this week as well as well as my putting. I’ve made a lot of putts inside 15 feet, which has been crucial."
