Gabriella Cowley fired a round of 67 (-5) to hold a one-shot lead at the end of day three of the ISPS HANDA World Invitational Presented by AVIV Clinics.
The Englishwoman began the day two shots behind the leader and got off to a good start with birdies on the second, fourth and eighth holes.
Cowley dropped a shot on the 10th but rolled in back-to-back birdies on 11 and 12 and made another on 14.
The 27-year-old then had another bogey on the 15th but made a birdie on 17 to seal a round of 67 and move to the top of the leaderboard on six-under-par.
“Obviously, it’s great,” said Cowley, who is in search of a maiden LET title. “Today was just a really good day. I felt really in control and just really enjoyed it.
“I thought the course setup today was great. There is still rain and wind, but it just wasn’t as severe, and the course wasn’t playing as tough and as long. The rough just seemed to actually not settle down as much. It’s still thick, but it just didn’t seem to nestle down as much today. There were a few more birdie chances today.
“It’s what we wish for to lead a tournament and things we want to do as much as we can, so I think I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing. I’m playing well, so just see what happens.
“Me and my caddie Ben, we’re such close friends. We have been friends for a while now. He just makes me laugh all day. I just feel really relaxed and it’s just a bit of a different feeling. Usually, my dad is here and he does a great job, too, but it’s just nice for someone to be doing all the work and me just hitting the shots.
“I quite like playing against the guys and being at the same venues as them. I feel like I can learn quite a lot from them, and just understanding what sort of shots they like to play and how they do things. These weeks are a bit more open minded and a bit more relaxed. Tomorrow I’m just hoping it’s a late tee off so I can watch the football!”
American Ryann O’Toole and Germany’s Esther Henseleit sit in a share of second place on five-under-par at Galgorm.
O’Toole, who won the 2021 Women’s Scottish Open, made birdies on her two opening holes before adding another on hole 10.
Her only dropped shot of the day came at the 13th before she rolled in back-to-back birdies on 15 and 16 for her round of 68 (-4).
“I definitely feel like my game is trending,” O’Toole. “I noticed it the last couple weeks. Things are starting to fall into place, I’m very consistent with the things I’ve been working on.
“It’s just been getting the confidence up there, there is not a lot of erratic shots, so it’s been really good. I like shotmaking. I think every hole is different. You have to work the ball. I really like that.
“From tee to green you have to play shots. Here you got a lot of crosswinds so you really have to commit to shots and kind of just take it as it comes and be really patient. There is lot of scorable holes out there. I feel like I didn’t capitalize on some of those shorter, pushed-up tees, but I stayed patient, and it worked out.”
While two-time LET winner Henseleit had a steadier day dropping her only shot on the sixth and rolling in birdies on nine, 10, 12 and 15 for her round of 69 (-3).
“In the beginning it was still crazy windy, so that definitely was a challenge,” said Henseleit. “On the front nine, the tee shots are trickier than on the back. I was struggling a bit off the tee there, so I had to make quite a few up and downs for par, but I made most of them other than one, so it was good.
“Most holes par is a great score and just to keep high numbers off the card. Sometimes even a bogey can be a decent score. You just have to try to stay on the right side of the pin, and have a long putt, make a two-putt, and go on to the next.
“It’s a great position to be in. I feel really confident on the golf course at the moment, and I’m looking forward to the challenge tomorrow. I hope it goes well.”
Switzerland’s Kim Metraux sits in solo fourth place on four-under-par after producing a round of 69 (-3).
Metraux explained: “It was just a very solid day overall. I managed to hit the ball better than yesterday and the putter stayed hot, so really pleased with that. I would say the birdie on 14 was really good. I hit it to about six feet, and it was nice to get to five-under for the day.
“It feels good to be in contention. I have been working on my game quite a lot and did a few changes over the winter and had a struggle earlier in the season, and now it’s finally coming along, so just really enjoying being in that position.
“I was able to not really think about it too much and just focus on taking it one shot at a time. I did that really well, so I’m hoping to do that again tomorrow.”
Four players are in a tie for fifth place with England’s Bronte Law, American Alexa Pano, Germany’s Olivia Cowan and Switzerland’s Albane Valenzuela all on two-under-par.
While Korea’s Soo Bin Joo and Wales’ Chloe Williams round out the top 10 on one-under-par with one round remaining.
The cut fell at +4 with 38 players making it through to the final day of the ISPS HANDA World Invitational at Galgorm.
In the men’s competition, England’s Daniel Brown maintained his six-shot advantage and leads with a total of 14-under-par ahead of England’s Alex Fitzpatrick and South Africa’s Wilco Nienaber.
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