Sorenstam & Kerr share lead

Annika Sorenstam is in her comfort zone: entering the final round with a piece of the lead.

Sorenstam and Cristie Kerr shared the lead entering the final round of the Samsung World Championship on Saturday.

Sorenstam birdied the final hole while Kerr made a bogey as both players finished at 15 under after the third round. Sorenstam, who trailed Kerr by a shot after the second round, shot a 4-under 68 at the Hiddenbrooke Golf Club. Kerr shot a 69.

"I'm just going to continue what I have done in the past," said Sorenstam, who has won 25 of the 42 tournaments she led going into the final day. "Hopefully things will come up the way it has for me most of the times."

Sorenstam is seeking her ninth victory of the season, which would eclipse her career-best eight, set last year. Sorenstam has earned more than $2.2 million this season, breaking her own LPGA record of $2.105 million in 2001.

Rosie Jones stayed in third after a round of 70 put her at 12 under, three shots behind the co-leaders. Se Ri Pak surged with a 5-under-par 67, marred only by a triple-bogey on No. 17.

Pak made eight birdies in her round, finishing at 11 under. She tied for fourth place with first-round leader Michele Redman, who shot a 70. Three-time champion Juli Inkster and Lorie Kane tied for sixth, each shooting a round of 70 to get to 9 under.

With no wind and temperatures in the 80s, the 20-player field picked apart the course. Eight players shot rounds in the 60s and only two failed to shoot at least par.

After making two birdies on the front nine, Kerr went to 14 under. She opened up a two-shot lead again on No. 17 after sinking a 12-foot putt, but squandered that on No. 18 when she failed to get up-and-down, missing a 5-footer for par. Sorenstam tied for the lead when she blasted out of the bunker to within 3 feet and then made the birdie putt.

Pak birdied three of the first five holes on the back nine to get to 13 under, just one shot out of the lead. But she couldn't get any closer because of her triple bogey on No. 17, when she hit her tee shot into the hazard and then three-putted from 10 feet.

"That's not a good way to end a round," Kerr said. "But when you bogey the first hole, you don't think about it. So I'm just not going to worry about it."

Kerr is looking forward to the challenge of playing with the world's top-ranked player for a second consecutive day, with the tournament on the line.

"You definitely have to respect her because you just know that she's going to play well," Kerr said. "If she doesn't, it's an anomaly. I just got to play a little more solidly to get going tomorrow."

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