Nicole Garcia shot 71 at Doha Golf Club on Friday and was six under par after three rounds at the Qatar Ladies Open.
The 25-year-old started the tournament with a round of 69 on Wednesday and was in contention after a second-round 70 on Thursday.
Her third round was a slog, but she overcame the deficit with birdies at the 10th, 13th, and 17th. After signing for 71, she was five shots off the pace.
First place was shared by Becky Morgan, Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Aditi Ashok, all 11 under par after three rounds.
Further down the leaderboard South Africans Stacy Lee Bregman, Connie Chen and Ashleigh Simon were all part of a tie for 27th place on two under par.
How things stand going into the final day of the @QatarLadiesOpen pic.twitter.com/XamrJ1ET2h
— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) November 25, 2016