Aine Donegan waves to the gallery on the second green during the third round of the 2023 U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif. on Saturday, July 8, 2023. (James Gilbert/USGA

Leona Maguire fell nine shots off the lead as Aine Donegan’s incredible US Women’s Open bid was derailed by a nightmare quintuple bogey nine at windy Pebble Beach.

While Maguire rallied with two birdies in her last five holes, she dropped six shots in an eight-hole stretch mid-round and carded a three-over 75 to slip back to 13th on two-over in winds gusting to 25 mph.

Her playing partner and Lake Nona neighbour Nasa Hataoka of Japan played what the Co Cavan star described as an “incredible” round, carding a bogey-free, six-under 66 - the low round of the day by four strokes - to lead by a shot from American Allisen Corpuz (71) on seven-under.

As for Donegan, the brilliant Lahinch amateur raced towards the top of the leaderboard with three birdies in her first six holes to get the crowd going only to hit two approach shots into the penalty area right of the treacherous eighth and run up a quintuple bogey nine that killed off dreams of winning.

But the Ennis native rallied impressively after that deflating moment and played the remaining ten holes in one over, rolling in a 20-footer for par at the last for a 75 that left her tied 19th on four-over and still the leading amateur.

She’s three strokes ahead of 2022 US Women’s Amateur runner-up Monet Chun and Benedetta Moresco for low-amateur honours.

“I think it was incredibly difficult,” Maguire said of the conditions. “It had to be playing four or five shots harder in the afternoon than it was this morning.

“It was just a case of hanging in really. Two under my last five, it's nice momentum for tomorrow.”

Leona Maguire tees off on the fourth hole during the third round of the 2023 U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif. on Saturday, July 8, 2023

Maguire now needs something Haotaka-esque today if she’s to win from nine behind as the biggest final-round comeback by a winner in the final round of the US Women’s Open is five strokes.

While she played the closing stretch well, knocking in an unlikely 45-footer from a swale behind the 14th before hitting a hybrid to four feet at the last, the world number 10 was five over for her first 13 holes.

She birdied the par-five second but double-bogeyed the par-five sixth after taking two to escape from a fairway bunker and the difficult eighth after finding deep rough greenside to turn in 39 before dropping further strokes at the 12th and 13th.

“I don't think there was anything easy about today,” she said. “I think you just had to get very creative with some of the shots. It was incredibly difficult.

“It was hard to get close to the pins. Even when you got close to the pins, it seemed like on the poa annua greens late on a Saturday, they were bobbling all over the place. Nasa's round was just incredible to do what she did.

“Yeah, it's just an incredibly tough golf course, and there's not really much you can do about it.

“The wind was swirling, as well, which made it really difficult. 17 was swirling all over the place, even 18 was swirling a bit. You just had to try and make a shot and commit to it really.

“It's a US Open. You know it's going to be difficult. It's not supposed to be easy.

“You just have to be patient and just try and be as patient as you can and hit as good a shots as you can and knowing that some of the outcomes you're going to get a bad bounce here or there.”

Even with a few tees moved up and the par-72 layout playing the shortest of the week at 6,334 yards, the winds that gusted as high as 25 miles per hour caused havoc for most of the 74 competitors who made the cut.

Only 11 players broke par with Hataoka outstanding as she shot the week's low round.

“I would say that from around the seventh hole, I started to feel the wind, and of course, we were at the waterfront, so it was quite different,” said six-time LPGA Tour winner Hataoka, a two-time major championship runner-up.

Nasa Hataoka tees off on the ninth hole during the third round of the 2023 U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif. on Saturday, July 8, 2023

“Then, of course, I had some of the par saves, and so compared to my last two days, I think that from the back nine onwards, I did pretty well.”

For a while, it was 21-year-old Donegan who led the Irish charge as she birdied the first, fourth and sixth to go two-under for the championships.

But facing a 190-yard approach to the 386-yard eighth, she pushed her second shot into the penalty area, then did the same again with her fifth and eventually took three more strokes from just short of the green.

“I hit a good drive down eight and I had about 190 to the pin and probably hit one of the worst shots I’ve hit all year and followed it up with the exact same thing.

“Of all the rounds I’ve played this year today was probably the best day finish and I hit two bad shots out of the whole round to be honest and they were the two that came on eight, so it was a bit disappointing, but you know, I had ten holes left to play and I couldn't really keep crying about it to be honest.”

Donegan’s coach and caddie, Gary Madden, reminded his pupil she was just two-over for the round and that helped her rally.

“He said, Aine, act like you’ve had seven pars and two bogeys, you know, which wouldn't be the worst score,” Donegan explained moments after raising a huge cheer when she made 20 footer at the last for par. “That was really nice on 18. I heard the crowds today. They were loud. They were particularly loud the first seven holes then they got a bit quiet. But they came back the last few holes.

“There's so many Irish out here and I'm very proud very proud of myself. I'm just very pleased to be where I am right now.”

She was rightly proud of her start as she led the char of the leaders.

Aine Donegan tees off on the fourth hole during the third round of the 2023 U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif. on Saturday, July 8, 2023

“Yeah, I started off really well,” she said. “I actually left myself in a tricky position on the first hole under a tree in thick rough, and I hit probably one of the best shots I've ever hit, to be honest to about six feet and made birdie, so that was a great start.

“Second hole, just missed out on about a 12 or 13-footer for birdie.

Then even the third hole, I nearly made another one there, a really long putt and it just missed. Thankfully then on 4, I made a good putt. It was downhill. It was tricky, a slider. It was great to get that in, and the crowd were very loud there, as well.

“Then the sixth, the par-5, I actually didn't hit a great first putt. Left myself with about 12 feet and made that, thankfully, which was nice.”

As for the eighth, she added: “The wind was really, really left to right there, and that wind often doesn't suit a right-handed golfer who plays a draw. Not that it makes a huge difference, or it's an excuse, but I just didn't hit two -- I hit two very bad shots in a row, which obviously concluded in me having a nine on the hole.

“I had to keep moving on. I had still ten holes left to play. It was very disappointing, but I'm pleased with how I finished after that.

“My coach said to me, Áine, just act like you've just had seven pars and two bogeys. Forget about the fact that it's a nine. At the end of the day you've had the exact same number of shots as seven pars and two bogeys. That's what I did.”

While she three-putted the 11th, she had chances and par saves coming home, though she was determined not to bogey the last two holes after following a birdie from 26 feet at the 15th with a bogey at the 17th.

“I'm really happy with how I played the back nine, especially the back nine today is playing really tough,” she said. “It's really windy. It feels like home, to be honest, the back nine today.

“The back nine is just the back nine at Pebble. It's very, very difficult with the added wind and then the pressure, it's tough. It's tough to play in. Yeah, I'm really happy with how I finished the back nine.”

After holing her 20-footer at the last, she spent a few minutes hugging and kissing her supporters.

“There was probably 50 people around the green, so that was really nice,” she said. “And to do it in front of friends and family and a lot of other Irish people out here was really nice, too, and a good way to finish. I didn't want to finish bogey-bogey.”