Stephanie Kyriacou takes a one shot lead into the final round of the 2024 Amundi Evian Championship
It was a long third day at the Amundi Evian Championship as a number of players returned to the course from 5:30am local time to practice in preparation for finishing off their second rounds. Friday's play was suspended due to dangerous weather conditions.
After the second round was completed and the cut finalised, it was a three-ball two tee start at 11:15am to make sure that everyone got their third rounds completed.
Saturday is known as moving day and although there wasn't a huge amount of movement at the top for most of the round, there came an initial surge from American Ally Ewing. Starting her round on the 10th tee and at two-under-par, she took four holes to warm up and then holed three birdies before the turn. Four more birdies followed in her next five holes and although she looked to claim at least one more, the Solheim Cup player signed for a seven-under-par 64 and finished tied for 5th at nine-under-par.
Watch Round three highlights from the Amundi Evian Championship
With top five finishes at the U.S. Women's Open and KPMG Women's PGA Championship, Ewing will be pulling on her experience as she looks to win her first Major trophy.
“It took me a long time to win on tour. Took me probably even a long time to just kind of feel comfortable and settle in. I think it's just kind of trusting my game and knowing what that looks like. Not trying to be someone else. Not feel like I have to do more than I have. It's just kind of knowing what my game is capable of and then just let it happen. Don't try to force anything.
"I've been playing great golf. I think that's just fact. I acknowledge that, so that doesn't guarantee a good score tomorrow. Each day is going to be completely different. Certainly carry a lot of confidence into tomorrow.”
Lauren Coughlin makes her move
Another player that made a move up the leaderboard was fellow American Lauren Coughlin. Coughlin began her third round at the Amundi Evian Championship in a tie for 6th at seven-under-par. On the ninth tee, the 31-year-old was even for her round after two bogies and two birdies. Hitting her approach shot to 24 feet gave her an eagle opportunity, which she duly sunk. This was a momentum shifter, a birdie followed on 10 and 15, Coughlin then hit one of the shots of the day into the 18th green and holed an 18 foot putt to claim a second eagle, get to 13-under-par and a tie for second place.
On her fourth attempt and never making the cut Coughlin felt she had nothing to prove. Now she'll be in the final group on Sunday, with her 65 putting her in a tie for second.
Coughlin's husband John Pond is back on the bag again and is proving somewhat a lucky charm after guiding her to tied third at The Chevron Championship, her thoughts, "he's just my favorite person, so there it's just easy to be comfortable with him out there."
Their game plan for Sunday:
"Just have fun as best I can and try to stay in the moment as best I can as well. Not try to get too thinking about result or the end and winning of course. I think if I can stay very much here and in the moment, we'll see."
Coughlin will be teeing it up alongside leader Stephanie Kyriacou (-14) and Ayaka Furue (-13), who held the lead heading into the third round.
Stephanie Kyriacou and Ayaka Furue battled it out for the top spot on Saturday
Australian Kyriacou handled the pressure of being in the final group well on Saturday. A three putt bogey on the first didn't unsettle her and she followed it with three birdies. A bogey followed on six, which meant the 23-year-old was still two shots behind Furue, who had birdied the second hole. A further birdie from the Japanese player extended her lead to three shots as they made the turn.
Furue's unblemished record came to an end on the 11th, after 46 holes she made her first bogey and that opened the door for Kyriacou who after a birdie on 10, birdied 11 to draw level. Furue immediately went back into the lead with a birdie on 12 and then dropped back to 13-under-par on 13 where she stayed for the rest of the round. A birdie on 15 for Kyriacou was followed by another three putt on the par 3 16th, but the Aussie remained composed and sunk her birdie putt to take the outright lead into the final day.
Both Furue and Kyriacou are looking for their first Major wins, with Kyriacou looking for her first LPGA Tour victory too. Furue will use her experience of finishing fourth at Evian back in 2021, whilst Kyriacou is taking a simple approach as this is the first time she has contended in a Major:
"Just staying in the moment and taking it one hole, one shot at a time."
With uneven lies, narrow fairways and tricky reads on greens, we're sure that Evian Resort Golf Club still has some tricks up it's sleeve and with 18 players within seven shots of the lead, there is likely to be a lot more twists and turns as we head through the final round. It is a Major Sunday after all!
View the full Amundi Evian Championship leaderboard here.
Inspired by the fourth women's Major of the season? Why not come and watch the best players in the world at the AIG Women's Open this summer at St Andrews. Ticket prices start from £20.
