Sara Byrne will be the only one of six Irish women competing at the Ladies Italian Open to see final-round action after a disappointing Saturday at Golf Club Milano.
The Douglas native, representing Dromoland Castle, carded a one-over 73 on day two of the 54-hole event, and it was just enough to see her hang on and make the cut on the number.
Olivia Mehaffey began the day as the leading Irishwoman and was inside the top 20 but a four-over 76 left her two shots outside the cutline, with Aine Donegan one further adrift and Annabel Wilson and Anna Foster were further back still.
At the business end of the leaderboard, Moa Folke, Alexandra Forsterling and Casandra Alexander will take a share of the lead into the final round.
The trio sit at nine-under-par, three shots clear of a tightly packed chasing group featuring Anna Morgan, Cara Gainer, Alice Hewson, Dorothea Forbrigd and Pia Babnik. Lois Lau is a further shot back in ninth place.
Home favourites Anna Zanusso and Alessandra Fanali are the leading Italian players and are part of a six-way tie for 10th, five strokes off the pace.
Folke and Forsterling laid down the marker during the morning wave, posting rounds of seven-under-par 65 and four-under-par 68 respectively, before Alexander joined them at the summit with a dramatic afternoon 68.
The South African, who shared the overnight lead, looked set to move clear after carding five birdies and a lone bogey through her opening 10 holes. After a dropped shot at the 13th, she responded in style with an eagle at the par-five 14th to reclaim the outright lead.
“After I hit a four-iron in, Doug [Pirie] said it was going to be difficult to top that for shot of the day,” Alexander said.
Another birdie followed at the 15th, but consecutive bogeys at 16 and 17 brought her back to the pack before a closing par secured her place in the three-way tie.
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