Sorenstam holds on to narrow advantage

Annika Sorenstam lost her three-shot lead in five holes, then had to make three birdies over the final six holes Saturday to salvage an even-par 72 and take a one-shot lead into the final round of the season-ending ADT Championship.

"I don't know if I'd call it a roller-coaster day, but it was tough," Sorenstam said.

At least she still had the lead, finishing at 10-under 206 to give her a slight cushion over Jennifer Rosales (69) and Cristie Kerr (70). No one else was closer than five shots.

Sorenstam has struggled at times with the lead. She knew she was in for a long day on the opening hole.

Unsure what to hit off the tee to avoid a bunker left and a winding creek down the right side, she went with a 4-iron and had a 7-wood left to the green on the 384-yard hole. She chipped to 5 feet and missed to make bogey.

Then she bogeyed the par-5 fifth after hitting a good chip into 8 feet, and her lead was gone.

"The flow wasn't there," she said. "I dropped three shots in five holes. That definitely was not the start I wanted."

It allowed for wild swings of momentum, with a half-dozen players either tied for the lead or one shot behind on a breezy, warm afternoon at Trump International.

Karrie Webb caught Sorenstam with a rare birdie on the par-3 fifth, only to take double bogey two holes later and slowly drop out of contention by missing short putts. She had a 74 and was in a large group at 5-under 211.

Laura Diaz, playing in the final group with Sorenstam, pulled to within one shot of the lead until she dropped three shots on the final three holes, hitting into the water on the 18th for a double bogey and a 75.

No one felt worse -- or handled her fate better -- than defending champion Meg Mallon. Eight shots behind Sorenstam after the first round, the Women's Open champion got within one shot with a birdie on the 14th and was poised to be a Sunday contender.

But she hit a 7-iron into the water on the par-3 17th to make double bogey, then went from a fluffy lie in the bunker into the water on the 18th for another double bogey. Mallon had a triple bogey on No. 18 in the opening round.

"That's my tournament right there," she said, referring to seven shots lost on three holes. "Throw in five three-putts, and I've played pretty good golf besides that."

Mallon, who wound up with a 73 and was seven shots behind, had a back injury and wasn't even sure she could play.

Rosales could relate.

She slipped getting into the shower Wednesday night and injured her ribs. Rosales almost withdrew, but it's the last tournament of the year and she loves Trump International.

It showed Saturday, when she played bogey-free in a round of brisk breeze and tough hole locations, taking the outright lead with a wedge into 4 feet for birdie on the 14th. She will play in the final group with Sorenstam.

"I just have to think of my game, try to hang in their until the last hole," Rosales said. "I know Annika is always going to be there. Hopefully, it's going to go my way tomorrow."

Kerr will be going for her fourth win of the year and played bogey-free, although she failed to birdie any of the par 5s. She gave herself plenty of chances, and figures she has nothing to lose Sunday.

"There's no pressure on me at all as far as I'm concerned," Kerr said.

Sorenstam felt it throughout the day, especially when every putt turned away. At one point, she walked off the 11th green and flipped her putter in the air like a baton. Then, she missed a 3-foot par putt to go 3-over for the round.

"I tried to dig deep and luckily I made a few birdies," Sorenstam said.

None was bigger than the 407-yard 13th. Sorenstam hit a 5-iron that squirted out of the first cut of rough and rolled to 6 feet, one of only two birdies in the third round. She also hit 4-wood onto the green at the par-5 15th for a two-putt birdie that allowed her to catch Rosales and Kerr.

She topped it off with an 8-iron into 3 feet on the par-3 17th, which played as the second-toughest hole Saturday.

The score wasn't great, but she gave herself high marks for resilience.

"I could have easily come in at 4- or 5-over par if I hadn't made the birdie at No. 13," she said. "To be able to turn it around is big. It's not always about a low round. I'm worn out because I fought hard. I have a chance tomorrow, and that's all I wanted."

Divots: The ADT Championship has one of the most fan-friendly ideas in tournament golf -- a yardage post near the gallery ropes that marks how far it is from the tee, and how far from the green. One question always asked in the gallery is how far a player has left to the green. ... Christina Kim had a 68, the low score of the third round. ... Stacy Prammanasudh rebounded from an 83 to shoot a 70 on Saturday.

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