Spain’s Azahara Munoz will take a slender lead into the final round of the ASI Ladies Scottish Open in pursuit of a sixth title on the Ladies European Tour.
Munoz carded a third round of 69 at the Renaissance Club to finish seven under par, a shot ahead of playing partner and former world number one Stacy Lewis, who returned a 70.
Ireland’s Leona Maguire sits in a tie for 24th at two over par after a level par third round of 71.
Maguire had quite the rollercoaster start with birdies at the first and third alongside bogeys at the second, fourth and sixth. After a run of pars another bogey would follow at the 12th but the Co Cavan player fought back to level par for the day with birdies at the 13th and 14th to go into the final round nine behind Munoz.
Lewis’ fellow American Jennifer Song is two shots off the lead on five under, with compatriot Cheyenne Knight and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko another stroke back.
Munoz, who carded four birdies and two bogeys, said: “I’m enjoying being out there so much. I don’t know, I think this break was really good for me. I just came back and I just want to play golf. I just want to enjoy myself.
“I’m going to do my best so at the end of the day, wherever that puts me, it puts me. In the past I think I always get a little upset if things don’t work out or whatever, but I always give one hundred per cent. As long as I do that, that’s all I can do.”
Lewis, who played with Munoz and Song, was frustrated by the slow pace of play as she carded three birdies and two bogeys in her 70.
“I think the biggest challenge for me tomorrow is staying in what I’m doing, and the pace of play is dreadfully slow, and that doesn’t play into my favour,” Lewis said. “People I’m playing with are pretty slow.
“So that’s honestly going to be my biggest challenge, to figure out with that pace of play how I can get into a good rhythm and how to keep myself in a rhythm of playing golf and not feeling like you’re waiting so long in between holes and shots and different things.”
Ko squandered a five-shot lead with six holes to play in last week’s Marathon Classic but has bounced back immediately and carded a bogey-free 67 on Saturday, the lowest round of the day.
“Almost having a tournament right after makes you focus on what’s right there in front of you and I think maybe less think about what happened at Marathon,” Ko said.
“There’s a lot about what happened to me on the last hole (a double bogey). But you have to talk about what amazing golf Danielle (Kang) played. I just think it really wasn’t meant to be.”
Kang, who is seeking a hat-trick of victories following back-to-back wins on the LPGA Tour, is five off the lead after a 69.
Collated third round scores & total in the LPGA Tour The Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open, The Renaissance Club, North Berwick (British unless stated, par 71):
206 Azahara Munoz (Spa) 68 69 69
207 Stacy Lewis (USA) 71 66 70
208 Jennifer Song (USA) 68 70 70
209 Cheyenne Knight (USA) 72 68 69, Lydia Ko (Nzl) 70 72 67
210 Amy Olson (USA) 68 71 71, Yu Liu (Chn) 71 70 69
211 Emily K Pedersen (Den) 68 74 69, Danielle Kang (USA) 71 71 69, Minjee Lee (Aus) 68 73 70
212 Xi Yu Lin (Chn) 72 71 69, Olivia Cowan (Ger) 68 71 73, Nasa Hataoka (Jpn) 73 69 70, In Gee Chun (Kor) 71 71 70
213 Andrea Lee (USA) 69 71 73, Manon De Roey (Bel) 73 70 70
214 Nicole Broch Larsen (Den) 67 73 74, Caroline Inglis (USA) 71 71 72, Gerina Piller (USA) 70 72 72, Haru Nomura (Jpn) 72 70 72, Hannah Green (Aus) 72 72 70, Daniela Holmqvist (Swe) 72 71 71, Eleanor Givens 74 71 69
215 Nanna Koerstz Madsen (Den) 69 71 75, Emma Talley (USA) 73 71 71, Georgia Hall 73 72 70, Kristen Gillman (USA) 71 73 71, Kylie Henry 71 75 69, Anne Van Dam (Ned) 72 71 72, Leona Maguire (Irl) 72 72 71, Annie Park (USA) 76 70 69
216 Ariya Jutanugarn (Tha) 73 70 73, Charlotte Thomas 71 74 71, Anna Nordqvist (Swe) 70 72 74, Moriya Jutanugarn (Tha) 74 69 73, Brittany Altomare (USA) 70 73 73, Sandra Gal (Ger) 69 74 73, Klara Spilkova (Cze) 69 73 74
217 Meghan MacLaren 73 71 73, Johanna Gustavsson (Swe) 70 71 76, Amy Yang (Kor) 71 72 74, Celine Boutier (Fra) 70 73 74, Gemma Dryburgh 69 75 73, Brittany Lang (USA) 73 73 71
218 Austin Ernst (USA) 71 72 75, Christina Kim (USA) 73 73 72, Katherine Kirk (Aus) 72 73 73, Charley Hull 74 72 72, Kelly Tan (Mal) 73 72 73, Camilla Lennarth (Swe) 74 71 73
219 YuJeong Son (Kor) 71 74 74, Jasmine Suwannapura (Tha) 73 74 72, Ashleigh Buhai (Rsa) 74 70 75
220 Lee-Anne Pace (Rsa) 70 77 73, Megan Khang (USA) 76 71 73, Cydney Clanton (USA) 72 75 73, Muni He (Chn) 72 73 75, Hannah Burke 72 75 73, Becky Morgan 73 73 74, Pernilla Lindberg (Swe) 71 76 73, Jennifer Chang (USA) 73 74 73, Alice Hewson 74 72 74
221 Sanna Nuutinen (Fin) 74 69 78
222 Yealimi Noh (USA) 71 74 77, Haley Moore (USA) 74 71 77, In-Kyung Kim (Kor) 75 72 75, Lindsey Weaver (USA) 70 76 76
223 Lizette Salas (USA) 73 73 77
224 Tvesa Malik (Ind) 71 74 79
226 Michele Thomson 78 69 79
