Leona Maguire will start Sunday's final round at the Honda LPGA Thailand 17 shots off the lead despite continuing to steady the ship during Saturday's third round.
After a difficult opening round on Thursday that saw the Cavan native card a 74, Maguire maintained her improvement on day three, building on Friday's second-round 68 with a two-under 70 at Siam Country Club.
She started well with birdies on 12, 15 and 18 before a bogey on the third.
That leaves her tied on 31st on four under but well adrift of runaway leader Angel Yin who is on 21 under after a 64.
The American holds a five-shot lead over Japan's Akie Iwai who could only manage a one-under 71 to see her slip from the summit and out of touching distance of Yin.
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Atthaya Thitikul and Moriya Jutanugarn are tied for third on 15 under with both carding 69s.
"Off the tee, I wasn't hitting it as well as the last two days, but I got away with some good lies and managed to capitalize on my opportunities," Yin said.
The 26-year-old California native is bidding for her second tour title after capturing the Buick LPGA Shanghai in 2023. She also has two runner-up finishes at majors, including the 2019 US Women's Open.
LPGA Tour rookie Iwai, who led after the first two rounds, had three birdies and two bogeys.
Iwai is seeking to be the first sponsor invite to win an LPGA Tour tournament since Rose Zhang at the 2023 Mizuho Americas Open.
"Actually looking forward to this situation because this is why I came to LPGA Tour, so I enjoy that," said Iwai, who is a six-time winner on the Japanese tour.
Additional reporting: Reuters
