JOINT LEADER VIDEL FORCED TO QUITE, NOCERA LEADS BY TWO

NEWS RELEASE FROM LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
Report by BETHAN CUTLER, LET Media Manager
Brezno, Slovakia - Gwladys Nocera of France moved into the outright lead following a dramatic third day at the Allianz Ladies Slovak Open presented by Respect.
The 10-time Ladies European Tour winner finished at seven-under-par having carded a 71 on the Gray Bear course at Golf Resort Talé.
She will start the fourth round two strokes clear of South African Lee-Anne Pace, the recent Turkish Airlines Ladies Open champion, who shot a 70, with a tightly packed leader board showing 17 players under par.
Having started the day tied with the defending champion, Line Vedel, Nocera grabbed the outright lead on the first hole after Vedel retired with a back injury.
The 24-year-old Dane hit her first two shots before crippling pain got the best of her and she could not continue.
The 38-year-old Nocera then ended up playing the last group in a two-ball with Swedish rookie Camilla Lennarth.
“I found it really difficult to get into the round today with Line leaving. I felt really bad for her,” Nocera said. “I wanted her to play and compete with us. I hope she is better and going to get some good treatment. It was difficult because we were only two players and I couldn’t find my rhythm.”
On another day of scorching temperatures, touching 35C at the beautiful and mountainous golf and ski resort, Nocera recorded two bogeys and three birdies.
She finished the round by making a 10-footer on the par-5 18th hole and said: “On the back nine I played much better and had a lot more birdie opportunities. I waited until 18 to make a putt.”
Nocera will be targeting her 11th LET victory and her first win in five years following the 2008 Madrid Ladies Masters.
She and Pace both tied for 14th in the tournament last year, but Pace collected her sixth trophy only six weeks ago, in Turkey.
“I played really well. I hit 16 greens so I’m very happy with that,” said the 32-year-old South African. “Hopefully, tomorrow I can drop some more putts on the last day. I like this course. I enjoy the greens and I like the slopiness, imagining the putts.”
Liz Young produced the lowest round of the week, a flawless 65, to storm through the field climbing 33 places into a share of third with fellow Englishwoman Hannah Burke on four-under-par.
With seven birdies, the 30-year-old from Hampshire equalled her own personal low round which was recorded earlier this year in New Zealand.
She even left several birdie chances on the lip including a putt from 15 feet at the par-5 ninth, which she played as her last hole. 
“I did have a chance for eight under and was thinking about it being a record for me,” said, Young, who formerly competed under her maiden name, Bennett.
“It’s all about hitting it in the right spot and leaving yourself an uphill putt: pretty simple and if you put yourself in the wrong spot you can quite easily have a three-putt.”
Both she and Burke, 25, will be trying to become first-time winners on tour and all three previous winners of the tournament have enjoyed a maiden victory.
After a two-under 70, Burke said: “It’s still out there, so we’ll see how tomorrow goes. I had a double up two so I had to make a comeback.”
First-round leader Nikki Campbell of Australia also climbed back into the top ten with a third-round 69.
Due to the threat of thunderstorms on Sunday afternoon, as per the third round, the fourth round will be played from a two-tee start commencing at 7am local time. The last group, containing Nocera, Pace and Young, will tee off from the first hole at 8.40am.

ALLIANZ LADIES SLOVAK OPEN
Golf Resort Talé, Brezno, Slovakia

THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
209 Gwladys Nocera (FRA)  70 68 71
211 Lee-Anne Pace (RSA)  71 70 70
212 Hannah Burke (ENG)  72 70 70, Liz Young (ENG)  73 74 65
213 Klara Spilkova (CZE)  71 72 70
214 Nikki Campbell (AUS)  67 78 69, Malene Jorgensen (DEN)  75 71 68, Whitney Hillier (AUS)  75 70 69, Noora Tamminen (FIN)  73 71 70
215 Linda Wessberg (SWE)  71 70 74, Mikaela Parmlid (SWE)  72 70 73, Mireia Prat (ESP)  75 71 69
216 Nontaya Srisawang (THA)  74 68 74, Louise Larsson (SWE)  70 72 74, Rebecca Artis (AUS)  73 69 74, Emily Taylor (ENG)  72 71 73, Trish Johnson (ENG)  69 72 75
217 Margherita Rigon (ITA)  73 71 73
218 Diana Luna (ITA)  71 75 72, Celine Herbin (FRA)  71 76 71, Jade Schaeffer (FRA)  71 74 73, Laura Davies (ENG)  70 76 72
219 Veronica Zorzi (ITA)  73 70 76, Camilla Lennarth (SWE)  71 69 79, Sahra Hassan (WAL)  75 72 72, Minea Blomqvist (FIN)  71 76 72, Isabella Ramsay (SWE)  74 74 71, Virginie Lagoutte (FRA)  77 72 70
220 Zuzana Kamasova (SVK)  72 73 75, Valentine Derrey (FRA)  73 73 74, Daniela Holmqvist (SWE)  70 72 78, Pamela Pretswell (SCO)  75 73 72
221 Ann-Kathrin Lindner (GER)  76 72 73, Holly Aitchison (ENG)  74 71 76, Stacy Lee Bregman (RSA)  71 74 76, Florentyna Parker (ENG)  69 76 76
222 Julie Greciet (FRA)  72 75 75, Melanie Maetzler (SUI)  70 75 77, Stefania Croce (ITA)  76 73 73, Connie Chen (RSA)  70 76 76, Marianne Skarpnord (NOR)  76 72 74, Eleanor Givens (ENG)  74 75 73, Lucie Andre (FRA)  71 72 79
223 Maria Hernandez (ESP)  77 71 75, Rebecca Hudson (ENG)  75 71 77, Jacqueline Hedwall (SWE)  72 73 78, Ursula Wikstrom (FIN)  76 73 74
224 Caroline Afonso (FRA)  77 71 76, Charley Hull (ENG)  73 74 77, Beth Allen (USA)  73 73 78, Tania Elosegui (ESP)  78 71 75
225 Galina Rotmistrova (RUS)  75 74 76
226 Marion Ricordeau (FRA)  76 73 77, Jessica Karlsson (SWE)  73 74 79
227 Elisabeth Esterl (GER)  74 75 78, Vikki Laing (SCO)  75 73 79
228 Sophie Sandolo (ITA)  70 77 81
229 Vittoria Valvassori (ITA)  74 75 80, Sophie Giquel-Bettan (FRA)  70 78 81
Retired: Line Videl (Den)