Kim & Meunier-Lebouc tie for lead

Mi-Hyun Kim's first three rounds at The Rail Golf Club have been anything but consistent. But her scores have been.

Kim shot her second straight 4-under-par 68 on Saturday to tie France's Patricia Meunier-Lebouc for the lead after 54 holes of the State Farm Classic.

A former LPGA Rookie of the Year from Korea, Kim has gone 67-68-68 over the first three days of this four-round event to climb to 13-under 203. Over the last two days, however, she has collected an eagle, 12 birdies and six bogeys.

The eagle came from the fairway at the par-4 17th hole, where Kim hit an 8-iron from 106 yards.

"Dead on line, one or two hops, then right in," she said. "It kind of rolled in. It bounced twice and then went right in."

Seeking her first LPGA victory, Meunier-Lebouc stumbled to her worst round of the week, an even-par 72 that included four birdies and four bogeys.

"I was feeling like (I was) playing the last round, so maybe tomorrow will be OK," Meunier-Lebouc said. "I had a lot of tension, I was leading by three. I think I was really into it, into the reality today, maybe a little bit too much. I wws not able to get out of the game, get my head into the clouds, like you say. It took a lot of energy to play golf today."

Battling for a spot on the American team at the upcoming Solheim Cup competition, Nancy Scranton is tied for third with Laura Diaz, Emilee Klein and Australia's Shani Waugh, just one shot behind the co-leaders.

"I just try to win, how's that?" Scranton said. "That would be enough. I don't do (the math), my husband does. But it depends on what other girls do, too."

Angela Stanford, Pat Hurst, Cristie Kerr and Japan's Akiko Fukushima are another stroke back at 11-under.

Along with Scranton, Klein and Hurst, Wendy Ward, Dorothy Delasin and Danielle Ammaccapane are on the bubble for the Solheim Cup team, which will be finalized at the conclusion of this tournament.

The top 10 finishers in the Solheim Cup standings will qualify for the team, and captain Patty Sheehan will make two additional selections.

"I'm not here to worry about what Patty's doing," Klein said. "I'm here to win a golf tournament. If I worry about what Patty's doing, that will affect my golf."

The Solheim Cup is no factor for Kim, who is known as "Super Peanut" by the Korean contingent that follows her every move.

"A lot of Korean people like me, they think I'm little," the 5-1 Kim said. "I'm mostly smaller than American people, so they are proud of me. I don't know, they just like me, cheering for me."

Once again, Kim took her fans on a rollercoaster ride Saturday, following a birdie at the first hole with bogeys at Nos. 3, 6 and 7. But she nearly holed a pitching wedge for eagle at the par-4 10th hole, made five-foot birdie putts at Nos. 11 and 13 and two-putted for birdie at the 505-yard 15th.

"On the front nine, I wasn't hitting good," Kim said. "At some point, like on 6, I hit a little 7-iron and think, `It is good, it looks like a good shot,' but I miss one yard in the bunker. Then at the turn, my caddie said just be patient. So I just tried to be patient."

Meunier-Lebouc also had a hot and cold round, opening with a bogey but making birdies at Nos. 2 and 4. After three-putt bogeys at the sixth and eighth holes, she recovered with birdie putts of five and 12 feet at Nos. 10 and 12, respectively. She could have had sole possession of the lead but drove into the rough at the 14th hole and took another bogey.

"It could have been both (higher and lower)," Meunier-Lebouc said of her score. "Three times three-putts. And I'm not putting bad. It was tough in my head to believe, but I kept fighting very hard. Even-par, I'm happy with that. Par with three three-putts, that's pretty good."

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