Scotland’s Catriona Matthew shot a third round 71 and set her sight on making history by becoming the first Scot to win a women’s major at the Ricoh Women’s British Open yesterday at a breezy Royal Lytham and St Annes. 

Sharing the overnight lead, Matthew had three birdies to post a four under par total and she led by three shots from American Christina Kim. 

Matthew’s second baby - Sophie – is just 11 weeks old. Then again, first child Katie was just a few weeks older when Scotland’s most successful woman golfer recorded her best result in a major with a tie for second in the 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship. 

“I have had five weeks practising at Archerfield at Gullane and that’s something you never get to do during a normal season,” said the player who won the Brasil Cup when she was five months pregnant in January and returned from the maternity leave to make it into the top 30 at last week’s Evian Masters in France. 

“I think I’m hitting my irons better than before and the key this week is staying calm and patient and keeping out of the bunkers. But while it’s nice to have a three shot lead, there’s still a lot of work to do tomorrow.”

Matthew, 40 this month, started rather indifferently with a three-putt bogey at the third and she then pushed a drive and took five at the par four fourth.
But a 15-foot birdie putt at the short fifth steadied the nerves and she added more gains at the tenth and the 13th.   

The only other Scot to make the cut was Vikki Laing and she had a 77 in the early morning cold and wet conditions. She finished the round in 68th place.