Leona Maguire carded a blemish-free third round 69 at the BMW Ladies Championship, where Sei Young Kim holds a commanding four-shot lead going into Sunday.
The Cavan woman saw any ambitions of challenging for victory evaporate at Oak Valley Country Club with a disappointing second-round 74.
However, the 30-year-old was enjoyed a better round on Saturday, aided by hitting all 14 fairways in a round that contained three birdies and not a single dropped shot.
Starting at the 10th hole, Maguire began with seven successive pars before a birdie at the 17th was followed shortly after at the par-five second.
She concluded with a birdie at the par-three ninth and sits on three-under par and tied for 52nd.
That leaves the Irish golfer 16 shots off leader Sei Young Kim.
The Korean began the day with a single shot advantage over Brooke Matthews and concluded it by stretching the lead to four shots over American Yealimi Noh and Nasa Hataoka of Japan.
Kim’s third-round 69 puts her in pole position for a 13th LPGA Tour victory of her career and first in 2025.