Leona Maguire plans to keep her foot on the gas after firing a career-low seven-under 65 to go into the final round of the $2 million LOTTE Championship with a chance to become the first Irish player to win on the LPGA Tour.

The Slieve Russell National star (26) stormed to the turn in five-under the 31 at Kapolei Golf Club on Oahu, then bounced back from her lone bogey at the 11th with a birdie at the 14th and an eagle two at the 15th, where she holed a wedge from the fairway to move to within a shot of the lead on 16-under par.

She eventually finished the day in solo fourth, five shots behind former world No 1 Lydia Ko, who birdied four of her last five holes to match Maguire’s 65 and lead by one stroke from Nelly Korda, who shot 63, on 21-under.

Scores

Still a rookie on the LPGA Tour after a curtailed debut in 2020, the pride of Ballyconnell is not fazed by the big names ahead of her and she’s still planning to attack in today’s final round on what is a low scoring week for her first visit to Hawaii.

“Yeah, there is a lot of big players in front of me,” Leona said. “Obviously Lydia and Nelly are right there and they've been doing it for a while. But, no, I mean, it's the same mindset as I had today. Today was moving day.

“I knew I had to go low to keep up with those ahead and around me. It'll be the exact same tomorrow. Unless they get nasty on us and tuck a few pins. It's really a case of going as low as you possibly can and seeing where it stacks up at the end of the day.”

She added: “People have been going low here all week. You're just trying to keep up with everybody and make as many birdies as you can. You don't have time to stop and think.

“I felt comfortable all week here. I'm really enjoying my first time in Hawaii, which is nice. It's sort of a chill place to be, so trying to take that onto the golf course.”

After winning twice on the second-tier Symetra Tour in 2019 to earn promotion to the LPGA Tour, Maguire is keen to contend for Solheim Cup and Olympic glory this term.

She showed she’s moved her game up a gear when she tied for sixth in the LPGA Drive On Championship last month and then started strongly in the opening major of the season, the ANA Inspiration, before fading to 28th.

“I got off to a really quick start,” said Maguire, who birdied the first, second and fifth and before picking up further shots at the seventh and ninth. “I hadn't taken advantage of those first six holes so far the first two days, so it was nice to get off to a quick start today.

“It was just giving myself lots of chances. I hit some nice iron shots and rolled a few putts. I suppose the big thing this week is taking advantage of the par-5s when you can.

“It's just a case of giving yourself as many chances on these greens. There are some pins you have to be a little bit safer on and some you have to go straight at them.”

As for her eagle two at the 15th, where her wedge pitched a few feet from the pin and spun sideways into the hole, she said: “I didn't see it go in. It was a nice number for us. We were sort of debating between a 55 degree and a wedge for me, and just picked up a little bit of wind. And that is what it was doing on the back nine. It was swirling a little bit, it was dropping, it was picking up.

“Hit it exactly where I wanted just right of the flag. I thought it was nice and then Mi Hyang started to cheer, so then I had feeling it went in, which is just a bonus.”

As for the state of her game, she’s been in superb form so far this season and putting on almost 20 yards off the tee and improved her iron play by changing to graphite shafts which allow her to hit higher approaches into firm greens.

“It's been close for a few weeks,” said Leona, who claimed her second career top-10 in the Drive On LPGA Championship before contending for the first two days in the first Major of the season.

“I put some really nice rounds together at ANA a couple of weeks ago and didn't really capitalise on that as much as I would've liked.

“But played really nice this side of the year and, yeah, put a lot of work in over the off-season. Changed my irons, which have helped a huge amount, given myself a lot more chances.

“Picked up a little extra yardage, which is helping too on some holes going in with shorter irons into those front pins, especially. Yeah, it's all coming together quite nicely.”

Maguire will play in the final round with the halfway leader, Japan’s Yuka Saso (19), who struggled to a one-under 71 to finish four adrift of Ko on 17-under.

The Cavan star will have Irish opposition in the final round as Ko’s caddie is Northern Irishman David Jones, who regularly caddies for Rolex Rankings No. 14 Sung Hyun Park.

The two worked together for a time in 2020, and Ko knows that though their partnership may be coming to an end soon, Jones’ help has been a necessity over the past three days.

“I said to David as we were walking down 18, we're like a contract show of relationship. We know when we are going to end,” said Ko.

“But it's been fun, and obviously coming into this week it was kind of a last-minute I had to look for someone, and with Dave being somebody that had worked together before, I was already pretty comfortable.”

Lexi Thompson, Hyo Joo Kim and 2015 LOTTE champion Sei Young Kim sit in a tie for sixth at 14 under with seven players a further shot back in a tie for ninth including major champion Hannah Green and Tour winner Ally Ewing.