Leona Maguire enjoyed a sparkling return to form with a nine under par 63 in her third round at a rain-drenched K Club in the KPMG Women’s Irish Open.
Maguire cut a slightly frustrated figure after her one under par 71 on Friday, telling reporters afterwards that she could have been 10 under par but for a poor putting display.
On Saturday, she went close to hitting exactly that, a birdie putt lipping out on the 18th which would have delivered her a round of 62.
Her birdie blitz under dark skies commenced early, with three on the trot between the second and fourth holes, with further back-to-back birdies coming on the seventh and eighth as she turned in 31 strokes.
There was no let-up on the back nine with more birdies on the 10th and the short 12th. Her tally rose to eight on the 14th before she curled in a right-to-left breaking putt for yet another birdie on the 15th.
Leona Maguire has been in scintillating form at a rainy K Club, rattling in nine birdies in her first 15 holes to rise to fourth place in the KPMG Women’s Irish Open
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By the end of her round, Maguire was tied-fourth on 11 under, but the rain was becoming increasingly heavy, with vast puddles forming the course. This forced a suspension to play with leader Casandra Alexander on the 10th hole.
The South African, who has led the tournament since Day 1, is three under par for the day and 18 under overall and still holds a commanding five-stroke lead from Sara Kouskova of the Czech Republic in second place.
Maguire was not the only Irish player to make strides on Saturday with Dubliner Anna Foster posting a bogey-free 66 to climb to tied-13th on seven under par.
Her compatriot Canice Screene, the leading Irish player overnight, is also part of the sizable grouping on seven under par, though she has yet to complete her round.
The London-born Irishwoman was two under after 11 holes when play was halted.
Áine Donegan, who had just teed off on 17, is one stroke further back on six under after a colourful card containing seven birdies and three bogeys.
Lauren Walsh overcame the setback of a triple-bogey on the par-four fourth to card a five under 67, registering eight birdies to reach five under for the competition.
Annabel Wilson, the remaining Irish player to make the cut, bogeyed three of her last four holes to record a one over par 73, leaving her at even par overall.
Watch the KPMG Women’s Irish Open from Thursday to Sunday at 2pm each day on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player