Sports

Golf

The 19th hole

By BOB HARIG
Published June 26, 2005

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BIRDIES

Reigning Women's British Open champion Karen Stupples, a Florida State grad, used six birdies in a row to shoot 69 and tie for the lead heading into today's final round.

Boca Raton's Morgan Pressel, 17, shot 70 to gain a spot in the last group of a major championship.

Although she shot over par, Michelle Wie, 15, is tied for the lead.

BOGEYS

Annika Sorenstam missed an opportunity to close the gap, shooting over par. Her 73 left her five strokes behind the leaders.

Second-round leader Nicole Perrot fell apart, shooting 78 to drop to a tie for 12th.

It was a tough day for Seminole's Brittany Lincicome, who had three birdies but also a triple bogey and seven bogeys to shoot 78 and drop to a tie for 56th.

QUOTABLE

"8-iron, putt, putt, putt, putt. Not much more to say other than that. I tried really hard on every putt." - Annika Sorenstam, who four-putted at the par-3 sixth for double-bogey 5.

DIVOTS

AMATEUR WINNERS: Several amateurs have made their presence known at the U.S. Women's Open, but just one in the previous 59 tournaments has won. That was Catherine Lacoste in 1967. The U.S. Open has seen just five amateurs win the tournament eight times, the last John Goodman in 1933. Bobby Jones won it four times. Francis Ouimet, Jerome Travers and Chick Evans were the other amateur winners. No amateur has won the Masters. Jones was the last amateur to win the British Open, in 1930. Two amateurs, Michelle Wie and Morgan Pressel, are tied with Karen Stupples for the 54-hole lead at this Women's Open.

OPEN PLAYOFFS: If necessary, the U.S. Women's Open will go to an 18-hole playoff Monday. There have been nine playoffs in the previous 59 years of the tournament, the last in 2003 when Hilary Lunke defeated Angela Stanford and Kelly Robbins. The 1998 Open was the only playoff that required extra holes, as Se Ri Pak defeated amateur Jenny Chausiriporn in 20 holes.

STAT OF THE DAY

Karen Stupples had six birdies in a row Saturday, from the ninth through the 14th holes. That's as many birdies as Annika Sorenstam has for the tournament.

HOLE OF THE DAY

No. 6

Par-3, 158 yards

If Annika Sorenstam comes up a shot or two short today in her quest to win the third leg of the Grand Slam, she will look at Saturday's sixth hole. After hitting an 8-iron approach on the green, Sorenstam had a 40-footer for birdie, which she knocked 10 feet past the hole. She then missed her par putt, running it several feet by. When she missed that, Sorenstam had four-putted for a double-bogey 5 that put her at 6 over for the tournament. That is where she completed 54 holes.

[Last modified June 26, 2005, 00:34:18]

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