RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — The only consolation for Lorena Ochoa was a one-shot lead in the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
Just when it looked like Ochoa would seize control of the first major of the year, she three-putted for bogey on two of the final four holes and settled for a 1-under-par 71 on Saturday, with only one shot separating her from Hee-Won Han.
Despite opening the back nine with three straight birdies to build a two-shot lead, Ochoa gave it away with an aggressive three-putt on the 15th, and by chopping her way up the 18th.
Han had a 70 and will play in the final group of a major for the first time today.
“It was an up and down day,” Ochoa said. “Today was difficult golf. It was hard from tee to green.”
U.S. Women’s Open champion Cristie Kerr was all but forgotten until finishing a 66 before the leaders made the turn, leaving her in the group only two shots behind.
Annika Sorenstam suffered stomach cramps so severe that she nearly walked off the course after 10 holes, but tried to gut it out and is glad she did. Sorenstam had four birdies on the back nine for a 73, and was only four shots back.
Going into the final round, where the pressure and desert heat is rising, 14 players were separated by five shots. Seven of those players are major champions.
Kerr was joined at 212 by Seon Hwa Lee (68) and Maria Hjorth, who bogeyed the 18th hole for a 72. Another shot back was a group that included Swede Liselotte Neumann (71) and Heather Young, who was tied with Ochoa to start the third round and was in the lead by herself at the turn until she stumbled to a 74.
Wagner leads Houston Open
HUMBLE, Texas — Johnson Wagner says he has struggled too much on the PGA Tour to apologize when things finally go his way.
Wagner got lucky bounces on two tee shots and shot a 3-under 69 to take a one-shot lead over Chad Campbell after the third round of the Houston Open. The 28-year-old Wagner, winless in 43 career starts, had a 15-under 201 total.
Campbell, playing one group ahead of Wagner, birdied five of his first nine holes for a 65. Charley Hoffman and Bob Estes were three behind at 12-under. Estes shot a 64, the best round of the day.
Footnotes.
Denver-area resident Mark Wiebe shot a 4-under 68 to take a three-stroke lead over Scott Hoch (67) at the Champions Tour’s Cap Cana Championship in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Jay Haas (69) and Eduardo Romero (68) were four back.
• Gregory Bourdy extended his lead to four strokes in the Estoril Open in Cascais, Portugal, with a 3-under 68 in the third round.
The Associated Press
