Australia’s Gabriela Ruffels and England’s Cara Gainer hold a one-shot lead on 11 under par after the third round of the Evian Championship on Saturday.
Gainer, making her debut at the fourth women’s Major of the year, surged up the leaderboard with a seven-under 64 highlighted by an eagle at the par-four 7th and six additional birdies.
“I made a great par save on the 1st which really settled my nerves,” said Gainer. “My eagle putt was definitely a highlight of the day. I hit a great drive, a great hybrid into the green about 10 feet and holed the putt.”
Ruffels opened with a bogey at the 1st but bounced back immediately with a birdie on the 2nd, then added six more in a composed round.
“I’m having so much fun,” she said. “This is what you practise for, what you play for. I’ve been working so hard, and it’s great to see the hard work pay off.”
One shot behind in a tie-third on 10 under par are fellow Australians Minjee Lee and Grace Kim, Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul, and South Korean overnight leader Lee So-mi.
South Africa’s Alexander Casandra is tied seventh on nine under par alongside Japan’s Yoshida Yuri after a two-under 69 featuring five birdies and a bogey.
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Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
Article Link: Ruffels, Gainer share Evian lead; Saffa seventh