LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England (AP) — Esther Henseleit shot a 4-under 67 in the third round at the British Women’s Open on Saturday to elevate herself into title contention.
The 27-year-old German made four birdies on the front nine and added another on No. 11 before her only bogey of the day on the par-4 15th at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.
“I would say the first nine holes are probably the easier ones, so I kind of want to take advantage of that, take advantage of the par-5s and the shorter holes,” said Henseleit, a member of Europe’s Solheim Cup team in 2024.
Her strong day allowed her to make up ground on overnight leader Haeran Ryu, who is chasing a third consecutive major title.
With Henseleit in the clubhouse, Ryu slipped out of the lead after a fifth bogey on the par-3 12th. That put Shiho Kuwaki and Yealimi Noh in a tie for the lead on 6-under overall at the time.
Early in her round, Ryu had back-to-back birdies to lead by four strokes but made bogeys on three of her next four holes.
Ayaka Furue’s 65 moved her to 2-under overall.
Lydia Ko’s wayward shot ended up inside the jacket of a seated spectator on No. 7.
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