Koch & Rosales lead into last day

Sweden's Carin Koch vowed to make sure she will look at the scoreboards during the final round of the £1,000,000 Weetabix Women's British Open at Turnberry as she tries to fend off the challenge of the younger players to win her first major championship.

The 31-year-old Solheim Cup star carded a third successive four under par 68 to share the lead on 12 under alongside Jenny Rosales from the Philippines, who rattled off a course record equalling seven under par 65.

Sharing third place on ten under par are the two so-called "Kournikova's" of women's golf, 19-year-old Natalie Gulbis from the USA, who moved up with a five under par 67 in the sunny conditions and 22-year-old Paula Marti from Spain who lobbed in five birdies during her 69.

Five players share fifth place on nine under par including two-time winner of this event, Karrie Webb from Australia, who, if she wins will become the second youngest player in history to win six major championships.

Koch, who admitted that not looking at scoreboards during the final round of the 1999 Jamie Farr Kroger Classic in Toledo, will hope she will not cause chaos on Tour again when the LPGA staff had to call back players from the airport to appear in an unprecedented playoff.

Her former caddie Chuck Hoersch gave her the wrong club on the final hole and the resulting double bogey meant a six-way playoff, won by Korean Se Ri Pak.

"I will look tomorrow, yeah," smiled Koch, who made aware that a certain Swede didn't look at the scoreboards here in 1994 when he lost The Open to Nick Price.

"I just didn't know I was leading the tournament and I ended up making a double bogey. I think I would have played differently if I had known I was leading by two shots."

Koch reached the turn in a flawless three under 33 and added a string of pars until hitting 12 under with a birdie at the par three 16th. But three putts from 25 feet at the 17th saw her drop out of the lead, posted by Rosales minutes earlier.

However, Koch made her intentions of winning her first major championship clear with a 30 foot birdie at the final hole to make sure she played in the final group.

"I thought I played pretty steady overall," added Koch, who shares the lead going into the final round of a major for the first time.

"This is what I play for, what I practice for and hopefully, I feel good tomorrow. To be in the last group on any occasion, but especially a major in Europe, I mean, I can't think of a better position to be in." Rosales stormed up the field with an error free front nine of 32, with birdies at the third, sixth, seventh and ninth, adding another at the tough par three 11th from eight feet.

At the 16th, the 23-year-old from Manila rolled in a nine footer and equalled Candie Kung's course record with a six-foot putt at the 17th.

"I'm really surprised," said Rosales, who could become the first player form the Philippines to win a major championship.

"I felt really good this week hitting my drives in the fairways and being where I want to be and hit as many greens as I have done."

And having never been in the final round before, the diminutive American-based player admitted to being more excited than nervous.

"I am looking forward to getting experience and tomorrow, we'll see what happens."

Gulbis, a rookie professional with all the attributes required for International stardom did herself the power of good by moving up the leaderboard with a round that belied her age and experience.

The teenager from Sacramento in California oozed confidence with a faultless 67, which included a dramatic chip-in from 25 paces at the final hole.

At 19 years, seven months and four days old, Gulbis stands on the verge of becoming the youngest ever winner of a major championship and could also make history by making it her first career win, a feat that no other rookie has ever achieved.

"I didn't really have anything to lose here, I was so excited to come over, I've never been over here and I have just been trying to have fun and I've had a great week," said Gulbis.

"Tomorrow, I am going out there to enjoy myself again, hit fairways and greens and once you get on these greens, you can hole putts, the greens are so pure."

Marti began her day aggressively with birdies at the second and eighth to move to nine under par and a share of the lead. But having hit a perfect three iron to the par three sixth, she was horrified to see it slip all the way down the hill and bogey resulted.

A fiery three putt at the eighth upset her further, but the two time winner on The Evian Tour rallied to post important birdies at the ninth, 14th and 17th to keep her in contention for the £155,000 first prize. ""I am getting more confident day by day and I am gonna go for everything tomorrow, conditions were great, and you cannot ask for better weather, but for me personally, I would really like it blow more tomorrow," said Marti.

"Whatever happens, I am going deep! Two shots is nothing around this course and it's still there to win."

With 15 players from six different countries within four shots of the lead around a Scottish links course, Marti has a valid point.

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