Joe McConnell
Ireland’s Leona Maguire has fallen to second-last place in the Olympic golf rankings after an 11-over-par third-round 83, with Lydia Ko and Morgane Metraux tied at the top in Paris.
Maguire is at 24-over par after a harrowing day that saw a quadruple bogey on the 15th hole and a triple on the 16th, with only Finland’s Noora Komulainen, at 28-over par, trailing her among the 60 players.
The 29-year-old is a two-time LPGA Tour winner and also won the Ladies European Tour’s Aramco Team Series in London last month, but struggled at Le Golf National, shooting 78 and then 79 in her first two rounds.
New Zealand’s Ko, who is aiming to complete her Olympic medal haul after winning silver in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and bronze in Tokyo three years ago, and Switzerland’s Metraux lead the way at nine under par, two shots ahead of American Rose Zhang and Japan’s Miyu Yamashita.
Ko’s four-under 68 featured six birdies and two bogeys, while halfway leader Metraux signed for a one-under 71 after salvaging a sloppy round with a last-hole eagle.
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Zhang’s five-under-par 67 included three birdies on a flawless front nine and then two eagles at the finish, on the 14th and 18th holes, although a double bogey on the 15th prevented the 21-year-old from joining Ko and Metraux at the top.
Reigning champion and world No. 1 Nelly Korda is five shots behind at four under par after a two-under 70, recovering from bogeys on the first and third holes to make five birdies before a third and final bogey on the 17th.
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Hannah Green closed out the day’s round with a six-under par 66, which was built on a surprising back nine, with the Australian posting five birdies (including four in five holes) and an eagle around a lone bogey on the 15th hole, moving to three-under par for the tournament.
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