Annabel Dimmock leads Irish open as home challenge fades

England's Annabel Dimmock will carry a two-shot lead into the final round of the KPMG Irish Open as hopes of a home winner all but evaporated at Carton House on Saturday.

Dimmock has improved in every round on the O’Meara Course, carding 72-66-65, and the latter score has left her on 16-under-par, two clear of Finland’s Ursula Wikstrom.

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Italy's Alessandra Fanali and Spain’s Luna Sobron Galmes sit in share of third place on 12-under par after they both carded 70s on Saturday.

Cavan’s Leona Maguire is some way back on five-under while amateur Anna Abom, the only other home player from 13 starters to make the cut, finished on two-over.

Maguire had sparked thoughts of a third-round charge in front of huge galleries with an opening birdie, but she was unable to build on that momentum with a par-dominated card that featured just one more birdie to go along with a bogey on the 12th.

"I haven't done much wrong this week, I just haven’t done enough right," Maguire told RTÉ Sport’s Greg Allen after completing her round.

Maguire’s approach play couldn’t be faulted with 17 greens in regulation, but her putting – which she feels just needs a "few tweaks" ahead of the upcoming Solheim Cup – proved her undoing.

"I feel like for the third day in a row, I’ve shot as (poorly) as I could have.

"I actually played, gave myself a lot of chances today, a lot more chances than I did yesterday even.

"Holed a nice one on the first and thought that was us off and running but never really holed anything at all.

"Kept giving myself chances, kept giving myself a lot of looks, I just didn’t hole any at all."

Dimmock had no such issues, beginning with a birdie on the first before making further birdies on holes four, seven and nine.

A huge crowd