By Matt Smith
Dutch star Anne van Dam will take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the KPMG Women’s Irish Open at Dromoland Castle after a third-round 70 kept her ahead of the chasing pack.

Van Dam star began her day with a birdie at the first before making a bogey on the second, but rolled in birdies at four and six to make the turn in 33 .

Despite two more dropped shots on the back nine, Van Dam also made two birdies at 15 and 16 for a round of two-under and to put her on 11-under-par at the top of the leaderboard.

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“It was a crazy day,” she said. “It was definitely playing the toughest out of the three days so far, it was colder and very gusty and windy.

“Plus, the wind was in a slightly different direction, so I was guessing a little bit on some shots. It didn’t work out the best for me but that’s golf and it’s also golf that after a round like this you can still be leading.

“Overall, I think they did a good job with where they put the pins and where the tees were. There were definitely chances out there even though it was so windy. Maybe I’m a little bit disappointed that I didn’t get a few more in, but what can I say I tried my best every shot and this is where I ended up.”

It’s a stacked leaderboard behind the five-time LET winner with six players tied for second place on 10-under with one round left of the tournament.

Sweden’s Jessica Karlsson produced a great round of 67 on day three to move just one shot behind the leader while it was also a good day for England’s Annabel Dimmock who shot a 68.

The duo are joined by Denmark’s Nicole Broch Estrup, Finland’s Ursula Wikstrom, Spain’s Carmen Alonso and Sweden’s halfway leader Moa Folke.

“It’s a really nice place, the course is in really good condition and the weather is typically Irish,” Broch Estrup, the 2015 Helsingborg Open champion, said. “Today was challenging, it was a little bit colder and a little bit windier plus that was in a different direction as well.

“This morning I knew it was going to be a tough day for me because playing up there is not something I’m used to lately but I’m really proud of my effort out there. I was not hitting a whole lot of fairways and greens, but I was grinding my way to a round of two-under.”

Six players are just two shots off the lead in a share of eighth place at the end of the third round including home favourite Leona Maguire, who fired the best round of the day with a 65 to move to nine-under.

Maguire sits alongside Austrian duo Sarah Schober and Christine Wolf, England’s Felicity Johnson, Czechia’s Klara Spilkova and Denmark’s Smilla Tarning Soenderby.

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