Honda LPGA Thailand - 3rd Round

Yani Tseng eagled 18 to take the lead at -9 going into the final round of the Honda LPGA Thailand.  Michelle Wie and In-Kyung Kim are tied for second at -8 one shot back while Paula Creamer is fourth at -7 and Karrie Webb is fifth at -6.

Tseng had to battle back a couple of times on Saturday.  She doubled the 2^nd hole (her second in two days) and got those shots back with birdies at 7 and 8.  She reached -9 with birdies at 10, 12 and 15, dropped shots at 16 and 17, then roped her second at the par-5 18^th within four feet to set up her go-ahead eagle.  Wie struggled early with three bogeys over her first six holes.  She returned to -6 after a birdie at 13 and finished by birdying the final two.  Likewise, overnight leader Kim bogeyed three straight early (3, 4 and 5) and ended with a flourish - birdies at 15, 17 and 18.  Creamer birdied three in a row on the back nine to reach -7 but couldn't match the first three's last-minute heroics.  Webb, who posted 74 on Thursday, carded her second straight 68 with birdies at the last two to move into the mix.

Fifteen players enter Sunday within six strokes of the lead (do the math - that's a quarter of the field!).  In addition to those I've already mentioned - M.J. Hur, Stacy Lewis, Mika Miyazato, Juli Inkster (despite two straight 73s she's still in it), Amy Yang and Natalie Gulbis are among that group.  Include also Pornanong Phatlum, who's still in the Top 10 - T7 -4, to be exact.  Bill submitted his ideas for a nickname in yesterday's comments but none of them seems to roll off the tongue.  The best I can come up with is "Phatty".

Yani looks to be a good bet to win her fourth worldwide event of 2011 in four starts today.  Nobody's collected more birdies this week than she has.  If she can somehow eliminate the doubles, Tseng might run away with it.  Of course there's an awful lot of talent hot on her heels.

GC's coverage of the third round airs today at 3pm EST.