logo
Leona Maguire four off the lead at Evian Championship heading into final day

Leona Maguire four off the lead at Evian Championship heading into final day

Irish Times12-07-2025
England's Cara Gainer and Australia's Gabriela Ruffels share a one-stroke lead at 11 under entering the final round of the Evian Championship, as
Leona Maguire
shot a one-under-par 70 in the third round of the Major to leave herself four behind.
Gainer carded a seven-under 64 and Ruffels shot 66 in the third round on Saturday at the Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France.
Maguire battled back well after a disappointing start saw her bogey the par 3 second hole which she had got a hole-in-one and birdie on over the first two days. A birdie and bogey followed before a strong finish that saw her birdie two of the last four holes to finish on seven under.
World number two Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, three-time Major winner Minjee Lee and fellow Australian Grace Kim, and second-round leader Somi Lee of South Korea are all 10 under at the fourth of this season's five LPGA Tour majors.
READ MORE
Gainer (29) picked up her maiden title on the Ladies European Tour in Morocco in February. She tied for third at an LET event at this course in May.
'I've got confidence coming from that tournament,' she said. 'I know it's set up slightly different, but I have good feelings and good vibes in this amazing beautiful place.'
Gainer put herself into contention for her first Major victory with six birdies, an eagle at the par-5 seventh hole and one bogey Saturday.
Ruffels (25) has three titles on the Epson Tour but her best finish in a Major was a tied-13th at the US Women's Open in 2020. She opened the third round with her only bogey of the day before posting six birdies, including four during a five-hole stretch from numbers 11-15.
'Putter was really good today,' Ruffels said. 'Made some putts inside 15 feet. And, yeah, was just super solid tee to green.'
Japan's Yuri Yoshida and China's Ruixin Liu posted the low rounds of the day at eight-under 63. Yoshida finished a clean round with eight birdies and is tied for seventh at nine under, while Liu collected seven birdies and an eagle at the seventh to move into a tie for 12th at seven under.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Next year's Women's Irish Open to take place at The K Club
Next year's Women's Irish Open to take place at The K Club

The 42

time9 hours ago

  • The 42

Next year's Women's Irish Open to take place at The K Club

THE 2026 WOMEN'S Irish Open will be played at The K Club, the Ladies European Tour (LET) has confirmed. The championship will take place in Co. Kildare from 27-30 August on the club's Palmer South Course, which has previously hosted three European Opens. Advertisement The Women's Irish Open, which will again have KPMG as its title sponsor, has been moved back to August to offer players 'a prime opportunity to compete in front of passionate Irish crowds in the build-up to the Solheim Cup', the LET said. 'Tournament organisers are confident that this new venue will attract even bigger names and further elevate the fan experience.' Early-bird tickets for the 2026 KPMG Women's Irish Open will go on sale in due course, with U16s once again able to attend for free. MJ Fetherston, director of The K Club said: 'This is a tournament we want to support and elevate. There is so much brilliant talent in women's golf. We have been supporting Leona Maguire for the past few years and this is a terrific development on that. 'The Palmer South course has been given a lot of love and energy over the past few years. We are excited to bring tournament golf back to this challenging course. 'Our family and the whole team at the resort want to make this the best Women's Irish Open yet.'

Pádraig Harrington takes one-shot lead at Senior Open  despite ‘a weird day'
Pádraig Harrington takes one-shot lead at Senior Open  despite ‘a weird day'

Irish Times

time10 hours ago

  • Irish Times

Pádraig Harrington takes one-shot lead at Senior Open despite ‘a weird day'

Pádraig Harrington is hunting down more silverware as the 53-year-old Dubliner – winner of the US Senior Open last month – claimed the halfway lead in the ISPS Handa Senior Open at Sunningdale where a bogey-free second-round 65 for a 36-holes total of seven-under-par 133 gave him a one-stroke lead over Thomas Bjorn and KJ Choi. Five birdies, combined with some feats of escapology when occasionally in trouble, most especially a remarkable approach from gorse on the 16th, enabled Harrington – who hit the opening tee shot at last week's 153rd Open at Royal Portrush – to navigate a route to the top of the leaderboard. Falling acorns, bugs landing on his foot and leaves drifting by on his backswing were among the unusual incidents in what Harrington described as 'a weird day' where he kept his focus and strategically worked his way around the tight, heathland course in Berkshire. 'I rode my luck a lot today. Got my head in the game. Did a lot of good stuff mentally. Short game was sharp ... but I did a good job, where I should make a score, I scored, and then I got in trouble on plenty of other holes. Hit some recovery shots and managed my game, but I never showed much confidence out there at all in my swing,' said Harrington, who outlined the 'crazy' things that also happened: READ MORE 'As I was teeing off on seven, I was nearly hit by acorn coming out of the tree. On that par-5 a bug landed right down by my shoe as I took my backstroke and completely, like, distracted me. 'Then on 17 it was actually a leaf. I didn't know what it was. Came in front of my ball and I nearly topped it. I had a weird day in many ways. They didn't cost me. I wouldn't want to play like that [over the weekend], I would like to score like that the next two days.' In the ISPS Handa Scottish Women's Open, Leona Maguire shot a second-round 71 to add to her opening 67 for a midway total of six-under-par 138 in tied-eighth. That left her six shots adrift of midway leader Lottie Woad – recent winner of the KPMG Irish Open – playing in her first tournament as a professional. Woad's 65 is the best round so far and leaves here two shots clear of world number one Nelly Korda and Denmark's Nanna Koerstz Madsen, who both carded 66s.

Leona Maguire stays in touch as Lottie Woad sets the pace at the Women's Scottish Open
Leona Maguire stays in touch as Lottie Woad sets the pace at the Women's Scottish Open

RTÉ News​

time11 hours ago

  • RTÉ News​

Leona Maguire stays in touch as Lottie Woad sets the pace at the Women's Scottish Open

Leona Maguire lies six shots adrift of halfway leader Lottie Woad at the Women's Scottish Open. Maguire shot a 71 to add to her opening 67 at the Dundonald Links in a round where she bogeyed the first but subsequently picked up shots a nine and 10 to finish on six under. The Co Cavan competitor is currently in a share of eight spot. Woad, who recently turned professional after finishing third in the Evian Championship and taking victory in the KMPG Irish Open, carded a 65 and is two shots clear of the field on 12 under. Starting on the 10th, the 21-year-old had seven birdies on her card. Nelly Korda from the USA and Denmark's Nanna Koerstz Madsen share second on 10 under after both signed for 66. Korea's Seu Young Kim is a shot further back in fourth.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store