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Gustafson extends lead to seven
Sweden's Sophie Gustafson managed
to keep her head today while all those around her appeared to lose theirs
and was able to extend her lead to seven shots after the third round of the
Weetabix Women's British Open at Royal Birkdale.
With only one other player in the last seven groups returning a sub par
round, Gustafson took a firm grip on this £730,000 championship by carding three birdies in a two under par 71.
The powerful Swede tops the leaderboard on 11 under par 207 from Scotland's
Kathryn Marshall and Meg Mallon of the United States, while a group of six
players, including world number one Karrie Webb, share fourth spot on four
under par.
Webb's chances of catching Gustafson in tomorrow's final round took a huge
blow when she was penalised two shots for breaching a rather confusing local
rule that governs the relief given from a sprinkler head.
The Australian, who appeared to be the only player with any chance of
reeling in Gustafson in the final round, saw her three under par 70 changed
to a 72 and now lies eight shots off the lead.
Winning a championship on a links course such as Royal Birkdale always
requires a bit of fortune, and lady luck appeared to smile on Gustafson on
two occasions on the front nine. At the second, she surprisingly opted to
take a three wood out of the rough, and although her ball landed at an
awkward angle on a greenside bank, she was able to caress a wedge to within
four feet of the pin for her par.
"I had a good lie in the rough so I decided to use my three wood," explained
Gustafson. "My ball landed on the bank on a side hill, and I got it out to
four feet. Yes I suppose I was a little lucky."
Five holes later, Gustafson's ball appeared to move just before she was
about to address it. The television replay was inconclusive, and after
answering all the referees questions it was deemed that she had not
addressed the ball. Had the ball moved after her address then she would have
been penalised two shots.
"At the seventh I was about to address the ball and it moved," added
Gustafson. "So I wasn't sure whether to put it back, count it as a shot or
just continue. I then played a great shot to 10 feet."
Despite these two awkward moments, Gustafson reached the turn in one under
35, and although she made her only bogey of the day at the short 12th, when
she failed to get up and down from a bunker, the 26-year-old made amends
with a birdie, birdie finish on the par five 17th and 18th.
If Gustafson manages to win tomorrow it will be her fourth victory of the
season, following her success in the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship in
America and in the Ladies Italian and Irish Opens in Europe.
"I feel more comfortable than when I led going into the final round of the
Chick-fil-A," added Gustafson, currently number one on the Evian European
Order of Merit.
"This is such a great course and suits me well. If somebody's going to catch
me tomorrow then they are going to have to play really well. I'm not going
to take any unnecessary risks, but will still try to play my own game. I can
play the percentage when I want to. I've learned how to do that."
Mallon moved into joint second spot on five under par after matching
Gustafson's 71 with three birdies and a solitary bogey . The winner of last
week's Du Maurier Classic in Canada, the final major of the season, found an
able ally in her putter as she holed out from 40 feet for a birdie at the
eighth, and from 25 feet for another at the 17th.
"My putter was the key to my round today, it saved me on a number of
occasions," said Mallon, currently third on the LPGA moneylist.
"I played fairly steady today. I really didn't get into trouble until the
16th off the tee, but I made a 20-foot putt for par. I feel like I hit some
smart shots today."
In the du Maurier Mallon came from three shots back to secure the title, but
may have left herself a little too much to do tomorrow.
"I like the chase," added the American, "but I wish I had birdied the last
so I could get into shouting distance going into tomorrow. None of us have
any history on this golf course and these are difficult conditions on a
difficult course.
"I have to go out and play aggressively and Sophie (Gustafson) has also got
to keep her game aggressive, which is sometimes tough to do when you have
such a lead. I'm happy I moved in the right direction today."
Marshall's hopes of giving European Solheim Cup captain Dale Reid a timely
reminder before she picks her team in two weeks time went according to plan.
Despite making a double at the second, the Scot responded with two birdies
in a level par front nine, and she made further amends for consecutive
bogeys at the 12th and 13th with birdies at the closing two holes.
Sweden's Lotte Neumann also did her chances of a Solheim Cup place a world
of good by moving into a share of fourth spot thanks to a two under par 71.
For Webb though it proved to be a disappointing day all round, despite
shooting what she thought was a three under par round.
Her infringement of the local rule at the first was apparently spotted by
the television commentators, and after a flurry of excitement in the
recorder's tent her score was changed from a three under 70 to a one under
72.
"My interpretation of the rule was different to the correct interpretation
of the rule," said Webb, the winner of eight events this season.
"You try to do the right thing and not call for a ruling and hold up play. A
lot of the time people call for the most stupid rulings and waste time out
there. You think you are doing the right thing by not slowing up play and it
ends up costing you two shots.
"I dropped it three inches away from where I was supposed to. I took one
club length, but I was three inches from the correct point of relief. If I
dropped it three inches closer on the blade of grass that was my relief
point I would have been alright.
"I'm probably going to have to practice my dropping any way because I don't
think I could be that accurate.
"I had the local rules sheet and I read it. I don't play over here enough so
I should have just called for a ruling. That is probably my biggest fault. I
should have just held up play for a ruling.
"I might have still had a chance tomorrow if I was just six back. Now I
don't know. I will just go out and see what happens."
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