Promising French teenager Margaux Brejo adopted the mindset she knows is needed to pursue a career in professional golf to open up a seven-shot lead in the women’s event of the World Deaf Golf Championships at RACV Royal Pines Resort.

The decision to hit driver off the deck for her second shot led to an eagle at the par-5 third in Round 3, putting Brejo on the path to a round of 5-under 67 and a handy buffer over defending champion Vanessa Girke (74) of Germany.

The men’s defending champion, Nico Guldan of Germany, kept his hopes of going back-to-back alive with a round of 2-under 70, Canadian Russell Bowie (70) trailing by one after two late bogeys in his round of 2-under 70.

On a day in which both Australian Jack Besley and American Ashlyn Johnson holed out for eagle at the par-4 11th, it was Brejo’s aggressive play midway through her round that separated her from the field.

Girke, herself, was 3-under on her round shortly after they made the turn, Brejo taking the tournament by the scruff of the neck with her bold decision to set up eagle.

“I have 230 to the green and I say, OK, Margaux will play 4-wood or she will play driver on the deck and I say, OK, I will add the risk,” Brejo explained.

“I play driver on the deck and I have maybe 35 metres to the pin. And my approach was in the hole, so I was like, OK, that’s good.”

Verbally committed to attend Georgia Southern University in 2025, Brejo said it was important to play in the manner she will need to one day turn professional.

“The step now is to be a leader,” Brejo added.

“I’m trying to have a professional mind and just think that you can do the best. When I come to this tournament I say, OK, I’m the best and I will be the best.

“This is a little bit egocentric, but you need to have this.”

Girke dropped three shots in her final three holes in Round 3 and knows it will take something special to win a second straight World Deaf Golf title.

“I’m seven shots away. I mean, Margaux is so good,” Girke said.

“I don’t give up, but it’ll be tough.

“I was 3-under and then double-bogey, bogey and then the last birdie putt on nine lipped out.

“I just enjoyed Margaux playing golf. It was amazing what she did.”

It was a late switch at the top of the leaderboard in the men’s event as Bowie dropped from one in front to one behind after failing to get up-and-down at both 17 and 18.

“Being 4-under, I had caught Nico on the leaderboard,” said Bowie.

“I would’ve been one ahead of him and then now just going in still one behind, kind of where we started the day basically.

“It doesn’t feel like I have the momentum, but tomorrow’s a new day. I’m still right there one shot behind. Hope to have a good one tomorrow.”

Guldan was a nine-stroke winner over Bowie at the 2022 World Deaf Golf Championships in Hawaii, the Canadian ready to make it more of a contest on the Gold Coast.

“I was never really as close as I am now to the lead,” said Bowie, who will stay on in Australia to play the Melbourne Sandbelt at the completion of the tournament.

“He played really well then and he’s playing really well now.

“It’s kind of familiar territory for us playing together so looking forward to having another round tomorrow.”

Hopes for any Australian success on home soil now rest in the team’s events, with the senior men’s team to start the final round in second position, four strokes behind America.

The men’s team are also in second spot, six strokes behind the Canadians while the USA have a large lead in the women’s teams event with one round to play.

Round 3 scores