Kung vaults into lead with 66

Candie Kung shot a 6-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over Meg Mallon after the third round of the Wachovia LPGA Classic on Saturday.

Kung carded six birdies to get to 12-under 204, just ahead of Mallon, the second-round leader. Mallon needed birdies on two of her last four holes at Berkleigh Country Club, including a tap-in at No. 18, for a 71.

Karrie Webb (65) and Carin Koch (67) are three back. Defending champion Se Ri Pak shot herself back into contention with a 67 and stands alone in fifth at 208.

Kung made a 10-footer for birdie on the first hole. Three straight birdies to close the front nine gave Kung the lead at 10-under. Her birdie chip on No. 13 and a tricky 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th put Kung into position to win the second tournament of her career.

"I think it's tougher to win the second," said Kung, who captured the Takefuji Classic in April. "Now, you know you can win. I'm putting more pressure on myself."

Kung, 22, is one of the young guns on the tour. In Mallon, 40, she will face off against someone with a lot more experience and 13 more tour victories.

"I might be at a little disadvantage," Kung said. "She has the experience. She knows how to hold onto the lead under pressure."

Mallon managed to stay in contention despite a tough day with the putter. She made only three birdies.

"The hole was smaller than the ball for me today," Mallon said. "I was hitting the ball equally as well as I did in the earlier rounds, but I didn't make any birdies."

Webb did not have that problem, notching birdies on the last five holes to move closer to her first win of the season.

Webb has had an excellent year by most players' standards -- she is 14th on the money list and has seven top-10 finishes in 15 starts -- but a winless season won't cut it for a player who has captured 28 tournaments since joining the tour in 1996.

"It's been frustrating at times," Webb said. "I know how hard I've been working. I know I'm better than what my results have been showing."

Webb started her birdie string with a 20-foot putt on the 14th. A 15-footer on No. 15, and up-and-down from the bunker on 16, a tap-in on 17 and another up-and-down on 18 helped Webb equal the tournament-best 65 turned in by Kim Saiki on Friday.

"It's a good way to finish the day, a good way to go into tomorrow," Webb said. "I'll go out there and, hopefully, get on the type of roll I had today."

Divots: won a car with a hole-in-one on the 157-yard 15th hole. Kerrigan is tied for sixth, five strokes behind.

• U.S. Solheim Cup selections will be announced one hour after the completion of the tournament. Four of the 12 slots on the team are up for grabs.

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