In-form Maguire ideally placed for a final surge

IRELAND’S Leona Maguire remains just two shots off leader Morgane Metraux and well in contention for honours at the Andalucia Open de Espana at Alferini Golf Club.

Maguire shot a 70 on day three of the competition which started poorly for the Cavan woman as she hit a double-bogey on the par-five second hole. Her form lifted thereafter and she went on to register four birdies, leaving her two under for the day.

She is in a three-way tie for second place on 12 under for the tournament overall with Switzerland’s Metraux leading the way on 14 under following her score of 67 yesterday which included an impressive seven birdies.

Maguire (below) is level with Sweden’s Caroline Hedwal and Cayetana Fernandez of Spain on 12 under and she will be confident of a winning surge today following her near miss in the CME Group Tour Championship in Florida last week.

Elsewhere, Englishman Dan Bradbury takes a one-shot lead into the final round of the Joburg Open as he bids to clinch a wire-to-wire victory in only his third DP World Tour event.

Bradbury, who only turned professional in July, continued to make the most of a sponsor’s invite this week as he carded six birdies and two bogeys in a third-round 67 to get to 17 under par.

He heads into Sunday’s fourth round one stroke ahead of Sami Valimaki after the Finn made a disappointing double bogey at the last to surrender the lead.

Home favourite Daniel Van Tonder was two shots further back in third, two ahead of fellow South Africans Casey Jarvis and Christiaan Bezuidenhout.

Bradbury, 23, safely parred the opening two holes of his third round but was overtaken at the top of the leaderboard as playing partner Jarvis made a birdie-birdie start to get to 14 under. Jarvis stretched his advantage to two shots with a monster eagle putt at the third, with Bradbury

notching his first birdie of the day from close range to keep him within reach.

There was a two-shot swing in Bradbury’s favour at the fourth as the Englishman holed his birdie try from around four feet, while 19year-old Jarvis made a bogey to join him on 15 under.

Bradbury then made back-to-back birdies at the sixth and seventh to go two clear but a bogey on the ninth meant he had to settle for a one-shot lead at the turn.

He bounced straight back with a birdie on the 10th but was joined at the top by Valimaki after the Finn birdied the 13th.

They each made birdie at the short 14th before Bradbury bogeyed the 16th to put Valimaki in pole position.