Anne Van Dam went six-under par on the Dromoland Castle castle course for a second consecutive day; the Dutch player led after the third round in 2022, but can she convert it into a win this time? Watch the KPMG Women’s Irish Open on Sky Sports Golf from 4.30pm on Sunday
Anne Van Dam is looking for first win on the Ladies European Tour since 2019 (PA Images)
Anne Van Dam fired a second consecutive round of 66 at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open to hold a three-shot lead going into the final day.
The Dutch star produced rounds of 69 and 66 on the first two days of competition to sit one shot behind 36-hole leader Diksha Dagar but now leads the tournament after day three.
Interestingly, Van Dam also led at the 54-hole mark at the tournament in 2022 but was unable to secure the victory, and will be looking to claim her first Ladies European Tour title since 2019 at Dromoland Castle on Sunday.
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Van Dam got off to a good start with a birdie on the first and then rolled in another on the third before adding another on the ninth, she made another birdie on 11 before dropping her only shot of the day on the 13th hole.
However, she bounced back and finished in style with three birdies in her final four holes to seal a round of 66 and move to the top of the leaderboard with a total of 15-under par.
“That’s golf, you always grind until the last hole,” said the 27-year-old. “I really wanted to make that putt on 18, I put myself out of position with my drive there and all I wanted to do was give myself a chance and I did. I really liked the read – it was just outside the left – and I put a great stroke on it, so happy to finish off with a nice one.
“It wasn’t my best day, but I also hit a lot of great shots. Overall, I have to be happy. Only one dropped shot today and seven birdies, there’s definitely plenty of good there. I’m putting really well and that’s the main thing I changed over the last couple of months is getting my confidence on the greens, especially under pressure like this. A day like today really showed it was good and I’m working on some good things. I’m excited for tomorrow.”
Sweden’s Lisa Pettersson sits in solo second place on the leaderboard after firing a 67 to move to 12-under par. Pettersson, who won the Helsingborg Open earlier this season, had only two bogeys on her scorecard and rolled in seven birdies for her round of five-under.
England’s Alice Hewson and India’s Diksha Dagar sit in a share of third place on 11-under par after rounds of 68 and 71 on Saturday, respectively.
Hewson, who sits 16th in the 2023 Race to Costa del Sol, had a solid day in Ireland with six birdies and two bogeys on her card to move up the leaderboard.
Diksha Dagar was the leader after the opening two rounds, but slipped back on Saturday (CTK via AP Images)
Two-time LET winner Dagar, who led after the first two rounds, had a trickier day with six birdies, three bogeys and one double bogey on her scorecard.
Czech Sara Kouskova produced the round of the week thus far, firing an eight-under-par 64 to climb up the leaderboard.
The 2022 LET Access Series Order of Merit winner now sits in a tie for fifth place on 10-under par alongside Australia’s Kirsten Rudgeley and French duo Anne-Lise Caudal and Emma Grechi.
Sweden’s Sara Kjellker and England’s Annabel Dimmock round out the top ten with a total of nine-under par after rounds of 66 and 67, respectively.
Watch the KPMG Women’s Irish Open, live on Sky Sports Golf from 4.30pm on Sunday. Stream the DP World Tour, PGA Tour, Ryder Cup and more for £26 a month for 12 months with NOW.
