Kim pulls clear of Webb

Karrie Webb never had the first shot on Saturday. That's all you need to know about how well Mi Hyun Kim played on the third round at the LPGA Rochester International.

Kim shot her second straight 5-under-par 67 and finished the day 13 under at 203. That was five shots better than Webb, alone in second after shooting 72 for the second day in a row over the narrow Locust Hill Country Club course.

They began the round tied at 8 under and played together in the final group. Kim had the first shot by virtue of her better score on Saturday, birdied the first hole, and never relinquished honors all day against one of the top players in the world.

``That (birdie) was very important,'' Kim's caddie, Worth Blackwelder, said. ``This course has very narrow fairways, and No. 1 is one of the tightest. It was a very big boost.''

Kim, who last week tied for second at the Evian Masters in France, her third top-5 in 11 starts this year, has won three tournaments since joining the tour in 1999. She's never been in this position before, though -- five shots ahead with 18 holes to play.

``I'll try to do my best game tomorrow,'' said Kim, who has gone in the 60s on six of her last seven rounds.

Kim's accuracy -- she hit 14 greens in regulation -- kept leaving her with easy birdie putts. She converted a 4-footer on the first hole, a 2-footer at No. 6, and an 8-footer at No. 8.

A 20-foot birdie putt at the ninth hole gave Kim a four-shot lead over Webb, who struggled off the tee for the second straight round and carded four bogeys.

Webb hit only seven of 14 fairways and had to watch her playing partner quickly pull away, her pigtails bouncing with every step as the galleries cheered the 25-year-old Korean.

``She saw how I played today,'' said Webb, who has won 26 tournaments in her six years on tour but none this year. ``She's got to be feeling pretty good where she's at. My only friend tomorrow will be if we have some weather.''

Webb, who had a 64 on the first round, also has the experience of winning here in 1999 -- by one stroke over Cindy McCurdy. And she did it by shooting birdies on the final three holes.

Webb duplicated that feat Saturday to stay in contention.

``I finally stopped worrying about missing the fairway,'' she said.

Webb easily could have been closer if a couple of long putts had dropped. Off the fringe at Nos. 6 and 7, each putt stopped less than 2 inches from the hole and she had to settle for pars.

Defending champion Laura Davies of England was one shot behind Webb after a 69 and Juli Inkster was alone in fourth at 210 after a solid 67.

Se Ri Pak also had a 67 and was at 211, while Beth Daniel skied to a 74 and was tied with Gloria Park at 212. Naree Wongluekiet, a 16-year-old amateur from Thailand, continued her solid play with a 73 and was at even-par 216.

Davies, who had an eagle on the par-5 eighth hole, reached 8 under with a birdie at 11 but bogeyed 17 and faced the daunting task of making up six strokes on Sunday.

``I can't see her losing her lead,'' said the 38-year-old Davies, who needs two more wins or a victory in a major to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame. ``You know you have to go incredibly low to beat her.''

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