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Cristie Kerr leads Ladies Open de France despite mixed fortunes

Cristie Kerr led the Ladies Open de France by three shots when play was suspended on Saturday. Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images

Cristie Kerr will have a three-shot lead when the third round of the Ladies Open de France resumes on Sunday.

Kerr -- looking for her first Ladies European Tour title -- was eight holes into her third round and held an overall score of 12-under-par when play was suspended due to bad light.

It was the second time in as many days that play had been suspended after heavy rain brought proceedings to an early finish on Friday, forcing a number of players to complete their second round early Saturday.

The American -- who did not make it onto the course before play was abandoned -- enjoyed a stellar second round of 64, which featured six birdies and no bogeys.

By the end of the second round, Kerr was sitting at 14 under and had built up a commanding six-shot lead.

However, there was a change in fortunes at the start of the third round as the leader dropped two shots on her first eight holes.

Kerr's slip allowed the pursuing Anne Van Dam -- sitting in second -- to halve her lead before the end of the day.

The Dutch player enjoyed a steady start to the third round as she managed seven pars and one birdie to bring her score to 9 under.

Van Dam wasn't the only player to make a dent in Kerr's lead, as two-time tournament winner Azahara Munoz ended with four birdies from her first 12 holes to move up to sixth place and 6 under.

It was also a good day for France's Mathilde Claisse. The amateur finished the day at 7-under and is currently tied with Ursula Wikstrom in third place.