Local contenders and leaderboard chasers will see their chances change dramatically in the final round as kelsey bennett carries a slim advantage into the last day; Saturday at 11: 00 a. m. ET Bennett will take a one-shot lead into the fourth and final round of the Australian Women’s Classic after carding a two-under 70 at Magenta Shores.
Áine Donegan’s slide leaves Lahinch rookie tied 33rd and three outside top 20
Áine Donegan, the Lahinch woman who began moving day tied for 17th following rounds of 69 and 72, lost significant ground on the front nine with three consecutive bogeys that put her 10 shots off the lead. She steadied on the back nine, birdieing the 10th and 17th and bogeying the 16th, but a two-over 74 left her tied for 33rd, 12 shots behind the leader and three spots outside the top 20.
Kelsey Bennett holds narrow advantage after two-under 70 at Magenta Shores
kelsey bennett maintained the one-shot edge she carried into the weekend by shooting a two-under 70. Playing alongside Trichat Cheenglab of Thailand and England’s Meghan MacLaren, Bennett opened strongly with a birdie at the par-5 1st and followed with another at the 4th before a run of lip-outs through the turn tested her momentum. A tense run of holes beginning at the 13th featured a brief shift in control when MacLaren birdied to take the outright lead and Bennett dropped a shot, but Bennett responded two holes later with a birdie while MacLaren had to pitch up twice. Bennett parred the closing stretch as MacLaren bogeyed the short par-3 16th and then answered with a birdie at 17 to leave just one stroke separating them heading into the final round. “I had so many chances out there, ” kelsey bennett said. “Plenty inside 15-feet early on. I’m super happy with the way I’m hitting it, I just need a few to drop tomorrow. ” Bennett arrives seeking a maiden Ladies European Tour win after finishing tied for eighth at the Ford Women’s NSW Open and tied for 12th at the season-opening PIF Saudi Ladies International.
Meghan MacLaren and Caley McGinty sit one back with different momentum at Magenta Shores
Meghan MacLaren matched Bennett’s score on day three after “grinding things out” at Magenta Shores Golf and Country Club, putting herself one shot off the lead and in position to threaten for a Down Under title. MacLaren is on the brink of a fourth victory in the region, having won this tournament in 2022 and two Ford Women’s NSW Opens in 2018 and 2019, and she regained full Ladies European Tour status at Q-School in December. Rookie Caley McGinty also sits one back after posting a bogey-free four-under 68, giving her a seat at the top of the leaderboard as the event moves to its decisive round.
If kelsey bennett can protect her one-shot advantage in the fourth and final round, she is expected to convert it into her first LET win.
