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Eggeling opens up a two shot advantage
Dale Eggeling, drawing on valuable
childhood lessons playing golf in swirling winds, shot an even-par 72 and
opened up a two-stroke lead today at the Rochester International.
"I learned how to hit a low ball, keep it out of the wind," Eggeling, a
25-year LPGA veteran, said of her golf education growing up in Statesboro,
Ga. "I never really even thought about it, but having learned those shots
is an advantage."
Winds gusting to 30 mph played havoc with the leaderboard at the
tree-lined Locust Hill course. Benefiting from low-bore drives and a few
clutch putts, Eggeling moved to 5-under 211.
Meg Mallon, an 11-time tour winner, also shot a third-round 72 to claim
second place at 3-under, two ahead of Cindy Figg-Currier (72), whose sole
victory came in a playoff at the State Farm Rail Classic in 1997.
Five others were at even-par 216, including Rosie Jones (74), who
won here in 1991 and `98. Defending champion Karrie Webb (73) bogeyed the
last hole to slip to 4-over.
Eggeling, 46, has won three tournaments -- one each in 1980, `95
and `98. After missing the cut in nine of 11 outings this year, she
reverted to an old set of clubs and took an eighth-place tie at the Kathy
Ireland Greens.com LPGA Classic last Sunday.
She opened with a 71 Thursday, then jumped into a first-place tie
with Wendy Doolan of Australia with a 68 Friday highlighted by a
hole-in-one.
Eggeling dropped a 36-foot birdie putt on No. 6 and salvaged a par
from 12 feet away on the next hole. She three-putted for bogeys on Nos. 10
and 16 but holed from 26 feet for a birdie on No. 17.
"I was just grinding out there so hard," she said. "This is one of
the most taxing days I think I have had in a long, long time."
Mallon got to 4 under at No. 2 but lost ground by three-putting
Nos. 13 and 16. She then sank a 26-foot putt for birdie on No. 17.
"This course wears you out. Every shot is a big decision," Mallon
said.
Eggeling's most lucrative year on tour was 1998, when she won
$277,217. She ran up three top-10 finishes last year and is 33rd on the
career money list with $2.2 million.
Mallon is 11th on the money list with $4.5 million. Since taking
3rd place at the Nabisco Championship in March, she's had three top-10
finishes and a tie for 18th.
Jenny Lidback got back to even-par with a 2-under 70 -- the day's
best round. Her sole victory was a major championship, the duMaurier
Classic in 1995. Tied with her was South Korean rookie Jeong Jang (71), an
opening-round co-leader who turns 20 years old Sunday, and Doolan, who
fell back with a 77.
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