Germany’s Hanna Tauber will take a two-shot lead into Sunday’s final round at the Ladies German Challenge powered by VcG on the LET Access Series (LETAS).
Tauber, 21, had a mixed day with six birdies, one bogey and one double bogey on the way to a three-under 69, finishing the day at nine-under overall.
Sweden’s Moa Svedenskiold (69) is her closest competitor at seven-under, while the Netherlands’ Zhen Bontan (71) is another two strokes behind at five-under.
With temperatures rising to a high of 31°C on a scorching hot Saturday at Golf-Club Bergisch Land, Tauber continued her dominance on home soil as her competitors gradually melted away.
Teeing off at 1.56pm local time, Tauber was buoyed by the support of a crowd of about 20 spectators following along.
“I knew a couple of them and it felt so nice,” she said. “I like having people around and at some point I just turned and I was like, ‘whoa, how many people are here?’ It’s just great.
“I forgot to take bananas on the tee box, and pretty much 10 people were offering me food from the side. One was giving me some nuts, or handing me like a pretzel or something, that was pretty nice.
“One lady even gave me a little bracelet. We went from (hole) 13 to 14, and she just have it to me and said, ‘you put that in your pocket for good luck’. And I’m like, ‘no, I’m gonna wear it!’ So that was very, very nice.”
Starting from the 10th tee, Tauber picked up where she left off with five birdies in her opening 11 holes to pull five shots clear at one point.
“I just hit good shots, pretty much,” she said. “Especially on 17, I almost holed it, so that was quite a thing especially with a left pin. But other than that, it was just good putting again that really saved me today.”
But trouble struck on holes four and five, when she dropped three shots with a bogey followed by a double bogey.
“I somehow happened to be transformed into Bryson DeChambeau,” Tauber said. “I have no idea. I just hit a high cut into the wind, four iron, it was like 180m and I just did not see that coming.
“My double almost became a triple because it was a four-metre putt for double, so let’s just say I was stressed out a little bit. It’s still a double, little flaw in the scorecard but everything else went fine.”
Tauber, who the second LETAS event of the season in Austria, recovered one of her dropped shots with a birdie on the par-4 seventh hole to give her a two-shot cushion heading into the final round.
She added: “I’ve been here before, I wish it was a little more to be honest. Two shots is not much. I’ll try to do it again, so I just have to keep pushing, not getting arrogant or aggressive and keep it cool.”
Hoping to spoil Tauber’s party is LETAS rookie Svedenskiold, who is chasing her first professional win.
The Swede mixed five birdies with one bogey en route to an impressive four-under 68.
“Today was solid, I played my game plan and took advantage of the par-5s which I feel like it’s a key out here,” she said. “I think knowing where to miss is a key out here, it’s a really challenging course which makes it fun.
“It’s my first season out here on the Access Series, so I’m just soaking everything in and learning. Winning would mean everything honestly. I have my mom and dad here so that would be really good to celebrate if that happens.
“But I’m just focusing on myself, staying in my mindset and enjoying it, controlling what I can do pretty much. I’m looking forward to it.”
Four shots back and completing the final group is Bontan, who finds herself in contention despite entering the tournament as a reserve.
Three players — Order of Merit leader Lauren Holmey (71), England’s Bel Wardle (69) and Italy’s Maria Vittoria Corbi (68) — are a further shot back on four-under overall.
There was more to celebrate for Corbi, who scored her first career hole-in-one at the 181m par-3 17th hole.
The cut line was set at four-over with 53 players returning on Sunday to compete for the trophy.
The final round begins at 8.20am local time, with the leaders teeing off at 9.40am.
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