HAVRE DE GRACE, Md. — Lorena Ochoa chopped into the mangled grass Saturday and was stunned to see her ball move only a few inches, leading to a double bogey as her hopes for a third straight major championship slipped away from her.
By the time she recovered, she found some perspective in the McDonald’s LPGA Championship, along with a familiar name.
Ochoa was only two shots out of the lead, trailing two players who have never seriously contended in a major. And she was tied with Annika Sorenstam, out to make history of her own in her final season on the LPGA Tour.
“I’m just glad I have a chance tomorrow,” Ochoa said.
Jee Young Lee played her final four holes in 4-under par and surged into the lead with a 7-under-par 65, putting her one shot ahead of Maria Hjorth, who also had a 65. They are among the longest hitters in women’s golf.
Joining them in the final group will be Sorenstam, trying to join the great Mickey Wright as a four-time winner of this major.
Sorenstam has gone 30 holes without a bogey, and she rarely found trouble on her way to a 68 that put her two shots behind. Ochoa birdied two of the last three holes to salvage an even-par 72, tied for third with Sorenstam.
Ochoa, who began the day with a two-shot lead, had gone 30 holes without a bogey until a three-putt on the opening hole.
The big blow came at the par-3 seventh. She pulled her tee shot left of the green into a mangled lie. She tried a flop shot over a bunker, but it was more like a foul tip. The ball squirted a few inches, Ochoa made double bogey and suddenly was three shots behind.
Ten players were within five shots of Lee, whose 25-foot birdie on the 18th hole gave her the lead at 12-under 204.
Clark fires a 6-under 64
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — South African Tim Clark heated up at just the right time, breaking a logjam at the Stanford St. Jude Championship to keep the lead to himself.
On a day that started with six players tied for the lead and 52 within six strokes, Clark finished a bogey-free 6-under 64 with three birdies and an eagle on his final five holes. Then he watched as his 5-under 205 total held up for a two-stroke lead as he looks for his first PGA Tour victory.
Gusting winds, which had made par a valuable score through the first two rounds, eased enough to make club selection a bit easier, but the wind often came up or changed directions at the wrong time. With the greens remaining firm, scoring consistently remained a problem with 15 players under par through 54 holes.
Clark will play in the final round today with countryman Trevor Immelman, the Masters champion. Immelman had his opportunity to grab a share of the lead but bogeyed No. 18 to finish with a 67. He was tied at 207 with Bill Haas (67), Alex Cejka (69).
Jeev Singh leading the way in Austria
OBERWALTERSDORF, Austria — Jeev Milkha Singh of India shot an 8-under 63, including an eagle, to take a four-stroke lead at the Bank Austria Open.
His 15-under 127 total tied the lowest 36-hole score on the European Tour this season.
The Associated Press
