Lorna McClymont digs deep to stay in hunt for maiden professional win

Lorna McClymont dug deep to stay in contention in the Jebra Ladies Classic and has compatriot Kylie Henry for company in the top ten heading into the final round in Cape Town.

Showing she is made of stern stuff, rookie pro McClymont recovered from being three-over-par for the day through just five holes in the second circuit of the Sunshine Ladies Tour event at Westlake Golf Club to sign for a one-under 71.

Having opened with a 67, that moved the Milngavie member to six under, sitting third and just three shots off the lead, held by South African Casandra Alexander.

In her three events so far in the paid ranks, McClymont has comfortably made the cut in each one and, for a second time this season, she was unfazed by a sticky start to a round.

Lorna McClymont recovered from being three-over-par after just five holes to sign for a one-under 71 | Mark Runnacles/LET

Those bogeys at the second, third and fifth were repaired by gains at the eighth, 11th and 13th before she moved under par for the day by picking up a second 2 in successive rounds at the short 15th.

Henry, who won last year’s NTT Data Pro-Am at Fancourt on the South African circuit, jumped up the leaderboard - she sits sixth on four under - with an impressive five-under-par 67.

The two-time LET winner signed for eight birdies, including four in a row from the sixth and ones to bookend her score.

Helped by three birdie-2s on her card, Jane Turner also made the cut on four over, but there were early exits for both Louise Duncan and Laura Beveridge on eight and nine over respectively.

Alexander, the defending champion, carded a course-record eight-under 64 to move into a two-shot lead over fellow home player Lora Assad.

Richie Ramsay tees off on the 18th hole on day one of the Investec South African Open Championship at Durban Country Club | Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Elsewhere, former winner Richie Ramsay opened with a bogey-free six-under-par 66 in the Investec South African Open at Durban Country Club, where a monumental overnight effort had been made to get the course playable after it had been badly flooded on Wednesday.

With three spots in the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush up for grabs, Ramsay was sitting just one shot off the clubhouse lead when play was suspended for the day due to darkness with around half the field still to complete the opening circuit.