Rookie Hanna takes two shot lead

The crowd roared, but Jen Hanna didn't hear the cheers.

The television cameras followed her every move, but she paid them no attention.

The rookie fired a 5-under-par 67 to grab a two-shot lead after the third round of the Subaru Memorial of Naples today at The Club at The Strand.

"I told my caddie that I felt like I was in a bubble out there because nothing really bothered me," Hanna, 23, said. "The crowd didn't bother me. The cameras didn't bother me. They did yesterday because it was the first time playing under those kind of conditions. I've had galleries before, but not cameras.

"I went out there today just totally in a zone. It felt like it was me and him out there."

Hanna, 13th on the Futures Tour money list last year, birdied three of the final four holes for a 13-under 203 total. She is attempting to become the first player to win in her first event since Beverly Hanson in 1951.

Hanna, 23, attended Furman and qualified for the tour by tying for 13th in the tour qualifying school tournament. Her only previous LPGA tournament was the 1998 U.S. Women's Open, when she shot 91-82 and missed the cut.

"I was horrible and just miserable, but I stuck with it and followed my dream to play golf," she said.

She was among the first-round leaders Thursday, but when she made the turn, her name was not on the leaderboard because scorers mixed her up with one of her playing partners. By the time she was finished, her name was correct on the leaderboard.

"I didn't look at the leaderboard," Hanna said. "I made a conscious effort not to look at it. Some of them are kind of hard to miss. Hopefully, I can keep this going. I don't care what everybody else is doing."

England's Helen Dobson shot a 64, the best round of the day, to join Nancy Scranton at 205. Scranton shot 68.

"I had to have a good one today," said Dobson, who has steadily climbed the money list over the past five years, finishing 27th in 1999. "I was nowhere near ... at least I still have a chance."

Cindy Flom (66), Catrin Nilsmark (68), Jane Crafter (69) and Tina Barrett (70) were three strokes back at 206. Defending champion Meg Mallon, the leader after the first two rounds, shot a 72 to drop into a five-player group at 207.

Grace Park, the 20-year-old South Korean star who won the 1998 U.S. Women's Amateur and 1999 NCAA individual title, shot her second straight 75 for a 220 total.

Rookie Kellee Booth, whose mother Jane Bastanchury Booth was named U.S. Curtis Cup captain earlier today, is five behind with Kelli Kuehne and Michele Redman.

"Nobody expects me to go out there and win," Hanna said. "Everybody expects me to fold. I have nothing to lose."

Sunday's champion likely will have not been in the winner's circle much. The top 15 on the leaderboard have a total of 28 victories, but 11 are by Mallon and five by Flom, who hasn't won since 1991. Dobson hasn't won since 1993; Scranton since 1992. Nilsmark, Crafter, Barrett, Hirase, Kuehne and Michele Redman all have one victory apiece.

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