Bell Micro Classic - 3rd Round

Se Ri Pak, Suzann Pettersen and Brittany Lincicome are tied for the lead at -13 after the third round of the Bell Micro LPGA Classic.  Na Yeon Choi, Jee Young Lee and Azahara Munoz are tied for fourth place at -11.

Scoring was very good as only one of the current Top 10 failed to score in the 60s.  Pettersen fired a 65 (low round of the day) highlighted by an eagle at the par-5 6^th.  Even so, she failed to birdie either of the par-5s on the back nine.  She did birdie 15 from five feet to become the first player on the day to reach -13.  Shortly thereafter, Lincicome poured in a 25-footer for eagle at 16 to join her.  Brittany goes into the final round having played her last 48 holes in -16.  Pak carded her third 60-something round of the week (the only player to do so), a 68 which featured only one birdie over the last twelve holes - a two-putt from 30 feet at the par-5 16^th which created the overnight three-way tie.

The trio at T4 all had stellar Saturdays.  Choi birdied six times in an eight-hole stretch to reach -12 but missed a five-footer for par at 18.  Still though, a fine 66.  Jelly also got home in 66, taking no bogeys and dropping four birdies on the back nine.  Munoz also birdied four times on the back but bogeyed twice, including one at 15 when her approach clipped a tree and fell short of the green.  Janice Moodie and Song-Hee Kim each shot 67 to move into seventh and eighth places respectively.  Not everybody in contention had a great day.  Wendy Ward's 74 dropped her to T12 and Haeji Kang's 75 knocked her back to T26.  Sun Young Yoo carded a 71 but slipped back to T10.

The Golf Channel telecast informed us that I had misread the qualifier for next week's Sybase event - evidently the ten best players in the Bell Micro standings through Round Two not already qualified make it into Sybase, not just those in the Bell Micro Top 10.  Or did I misread it?  Judge for yourself:

*Ten (10) LPGA Members who finish in the Top 10 of players, not already qualified, after the completion of the second round at the Bell Micro LPGA Classic.

Whatever.  Add Hye Jung Choi, Shanshan Feng and Jimin Kang to the foursome I listed yesterday.  Four players were tied for the final three spots - Amanda Blumenherst and Amy Hung each shot 71 Saturday while Jeong Jang posted 73.  Karen Stupples missed out with a 74 but should make it into the Sybase field because of her 2010 money list standing.  The best four on that list after Bell Micro not already qualified will make it as well.

For a moment this afternoon, I wondered if Charlie Rymer reads HDLPGA.  He mentioned Na Yeon Choi's made-cut streak dating back to her becoming an LPGA member.  But then he said it was now 59 in a row and I knew he didn't get that info from me.  I show her with 60 in a row because I'm including her appearance as a non-member at the 2007 Hana Bank KOLON Championship, where she finished tied for eighth.

So we have three players tied for the lead who each have multiple career victories.  Which one's experience will win out?  Pak is the only one of the three to have won at Magnolia Grove, in 2001 and 2002 at the old Tournament of Champions event.  Pettersen is the only one currently ranked in my or Rolex's Top 20.  Lincicome has shown a tendency in her career to rise to the occasion whenever she finds herself in contention on Sunday while Pettersen has recently shown the opposite.  All three are Bombers, Pak somewhat less so than the other two.  With a couple more players with LPGA victories sitting just two shots back, it ought to be a very entertaining final round.