CLIFTON, N.J. — Lorena Ochoa said her own little goodbye to Annika Sorenstam.
The two-time defending champion shot a 5-under-par 67 and left the retiring Sorenstam in her wake after two rounds of the rain-shorted Sybase Classic on Saturday.
Ochoa will enter today’s final round of the 54-hole tournament with a 9-under 135 and a two-shot lead over third- year tour player Teresa Lu and veteran Sophie Gustafson.
Sorenstam, who announced Tuesday this would be her final year on the LPGA Tour, was five behind after a 1-over 73 that included a double bogey after hitting a tree on a par 5, and a bogey on her final hole.
“I don’t need any more motivation,” said Ochoa, looking for her sixth win of the year. “I am pretty motivated to win. And about Annika having all this time from the media, she deserves it. She knows I like to win, and I want to be on the top this year.”
Ochoa has won 16 of the 23 LPGA events in which she has taken the lead into the final round, including all five this year and six in a row dating to last year.
Howell paces AT&T field
DULUTH, Ga. — Charles Howell III shot a 5-under 67 to take a one-stroke lead over Kenny Perry after the third round of the AT&T Classic.
An Augusta native seeking his third PGA Tour victory and first since the 2007 Nissan Open, Howell had a 13-under 203 total at TPC Sugarloaf.
Perry shot a 69. David Toms (69), Ryan Palmer (70) and second-round leader Jonathan Byrd (73) were two strokes back at 11-under.
Ryuji Imada, second to Zach Johnson in playoff last year, shot a 66 to tie Heath Slocum (69) for sixth and move within three shots of the lead.
Bean’s birdie worth lead
HOOVER, Ala. — Andy Bean birdied the final hole to take a one-shot lead over Mike Goodes (69) into the final round of the Champions Tour’s Regions Charity Classic.
Bean capped a second- round 68 with a 15 1/2-foot birdie putt on the 7,356-yard Ross Bridge course on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, moving to 11-under.
Loren Roberts and Denis Watson were two strokes back. Irish Open.
Wales’ Bradley Dredge shot a 6-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over England’s Richard Finch after the third round of the Irish Open in Adare. Dredge, who lost to Padraig Harrington in a playoff last year at Adare Manor, had a 9-under 207 total.
