Hall trails by five but says she is not out of title chase
It was a similar Saturday story for Georgia Hall to last month’s Women’s British Open; the young Englishwoman scrapped her way through an, at times, ugly third round to stay in contention at the Evian Championship in France.
However, unlike Royal Lytham, Hall will need to overhaul a five-shot deficit if she is to become the first British female ever to win back-to-back majors.
It is a big ask, but then the 22-yearold has proven herself to be up to the most demanding golf challenges.
“I think I’m in with a good chance tomorrow – five shots aren’t that many on this course,” Hall said. “So I’ll play smart, hopefully, I also need to hole some putts. I’ve had some putts every day that have only just missed.”
On a back nine in which the sweet rhythm of her three-under front nine suddenly went awry, Hall managed to limit the damage to a level-par 36 as she recorded her third successive 68. Hall believed her eight-footer to be crucial as it kept her in touch with Amy Olson, the American whose brilliant 65 took her to 14 under.
“It was of an up-and-down round, but I did have a good front nine,” Hall said reflecting on going out in a threeunder 32, which, at that stage, gave her a share of the lead. “The 17th is a hard hole and I was relieved to make that par putt. The win at the British Open does give me a lot of self-belief and I am playing really well.”
Olson is two clear of the Korean Sei Young Kim with another American in Mo Martin in third on 10 under.
On the European Tour, Chris Wood is on the brink of his first victory in more than two years. The Englishman, who appeared in the 2016 Ryder Cup, shot a 65 in the third round of the KLM Open in Spijk, Holland, to move to 13 under and take a one-shot lead over countryman Jonathan “Jigger” Thomson, Japan’s Hideto Tanihara and the Chinese Ashun Wu.
Padraig Harrington, who will be one of Thomas Bjorn’s assistant captains in the Ryder Cup in Paris in two weeks’ time, is two further back following a 65 at The Dutch Country Club.