Canada's Kane shares du Maurier lead

Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 13, 2000

AYLMER, Quebec -- Lorie Kane, wearing the red-and-white colors of her native Canada, shot 1-under 71 Saturday to pull into a tie with Annika Sorenstam at 6-under 210 after three rounds of the du Maurier Classic.

Sorenstam, 1-up on Kane after Friday's round, bogeyed the 18th hole for a par 72 in their head-to-head matchup.

Rookie Diana D'Alessio and Meg Mallon were tied for third at 213. Juli Inkster and Trish Johnson were at 214.

Counting Rosie Jones, who was at 215, only seven players were under par after three rounds at the 6,403-yard Royal Ottawa Golf Club. Par was a good score for most players on the tight, thickly roughed course Saturday, despite sunny skies and little wind.

Karrie Webb's dream of claiming a $1-million bonus for winning three LPGA major tournaments in one year virtually ended. She bogeyed three of the final four holes, shot 4-over 76 and trailed the leaders by nine strokes heading into today's final round.

Sorenstam shot 69s Thursday and Friday, but Kane was steadier Saturday.

Sorenstam had a chance to open a significant lead but failed. At minus-8 and leading Kane by two shots, she missed a 4-foot birdie putt at the 10th. At the 11th, she had a downhill 6-footer for another birdie but whacked the ball past the cup and had twice as far coming back for par, a putt she missed to fall to 7 under.

Both players missed putts of about 5 feet to bogey the par-4 15th. Sorenstam bogeyed at the par-5 No. 18 to fall into a tie after driving near a tree and needing four shots to get on the green.

Sorenstam had four bogeys and four birdies; Kane had 15 pars.

Thousands of spectators at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club pulled for Kane and scrambled to catch a glimpse of Canada's favorite female golfer.

The Prince Edward Island resident won the LPGA Tour event in St. Louis for her first victory to break the spell of nine second-place finishes in five years on the tour.

Kane talked all week about how calm and confident the win has made her.

"The fans have been fantastic," she said. "It's so much fun to walk up -- well, I can't even say to walk up to the green, because it (the applause) starts when I get onto the tee and when I leave the tee. It's 18 holes of just clapping and cheering and encouragement."

The sense of urgency for Kane's fans and for Kane herself is heightened by the conclusion of the tournament as it is now known, and possibly for LPGA golf in Canada for all time. Du Maurier is a tobacco brand, and Canadian laws are strictly limiting the advertising cigarette companies can do after this year.

No other sponsor has emerged to keep the tournament in Canada or put up close to the money that would be needed to keep it a major.

D'Alessio, the first-round leader, stayed near the top despite another day of erratic tee shots.

Inkster was 4 under for the tournament when she triple-bogeyed the par-4 fifth after hitting her approach into a tree. The ball didn't come down, and she had to take a lost-ball penalty.

She battled back with three birdies and two bogeys for 74.

Today on TV: LPGA du Maurier Classic (taped), 5, ESPN.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.

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