Olivia Mehaffey carded a third-round 75 to keep her hopes of a top 10 alive despite a costly double-bogey at the last in the Investec South African Women’s Open in Cape Town.

The former Curtis Cup star followed bogeys at the sixth and seventh with a birdie four at the 12th at Steenberg Golf Club to caress the top 10.

But she took seven at the 18th in difficult windy conditions to share 29th on eight-over, 13 shots behind Wales’ Becky Brewerton, leaving her five shots outside the top 10 but still in with a chance of a top finish.

The Welsh star holds a five-shot advantage over Norway’s Maiken Bing Paulsen on five-under-par after adding a 74 to opening rounds of 71 and 66.

Scores

It wasn’t quite the birdie-fest that her second round produced, but in many ways, it was just as an impressive performance from the two-time Solheim Cup star, as she kept things steady while those behind her began to falter. 

On a day when only one player shot below par - Paz Marfa Sans firing a two-under 70 - a third round 74 was something of an achievement for the overnight leader on day three, with conditions lending themselves to a damage limitation exercise. 

And after a day battling against the swirling winds, Brewerton was delighted with her day’s efforts, as she remained head and shoulders above the rest of the field.

“I’m probably as pleased with today’s effort as I was with yesterday’s, which is quite weird to say considering there was an eight-shot difference in my score,” she revealed. 

“It was brutal out there and I think it was just a day where everyone knew you were going to make mistakes and be in difficult positions, but you just had to try and minimise it, and I utilised the punch shot again very well.

“Today always looked like the weather was going to be quite bad, as tomorrow does as well - it’s exhausting but the best thing I did was to not try and brace against it but just go with it and hit the punch shot and keep the swing smooth If possible. 

“The most difficult thing was putting, especially if you’re going across the breeze because if you had the break going one way and the wind going the other it was quite hard to work out which one was going to have the most effect, so some of them were a bit hit-and-hope and they paid off the majority of the time.” 

In the Terre Blanche Ladies Open on the LET Access Series, Clandeboye’s Victoria Craig is 32nd on seven-over par after a second-round 75.

Germany’s Chiara Noja (67-70) leads by two shots from Italy’s Lucrezia Colombotto Rosso on seven-under at Golf de Terre Blanche. Scores