Lorena Ochoa holds on to one shot lead

Lorena Ochoa, despite losing a commanding lead with a double bogey on the 16th hole, finished with a 1-under 71 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the Safeway International.

Ochoa, the 23-year-old Mexican who won twice last year as an LPGA Tour sophomore, had a 13-under 203. Playing partner Soo-Yun Kang was second after a 70, while defending champion Annika Sorenstam was four strokes back at 9 under.

Sorenstam, who has rallied in the final round for 18 of her 57 LPGA Tour titles, shot a 72 in the unusually humid, cool conditions, but only lost one shot to Ochoa.

Rookie Brittany Linicome shot a 66 to join Juli Inkster (69) at 8 under, and Rosie Jones had a 64 -- the best round of the tournament -- to finish at 7 under.

Jones had nine birdies and was on pace for a 63, which would have tied the Prospector Course record set by Cristie Kerr in last year's second round, until she bogeyed the 15th hole.

Almost everyone else struggled to go low in heavy, overcast conditions and intermittent drizzle.

Liselotte Neumann had a 70 and Siew-Ai Lim, who shared the first-round lead with Ochoa, shot a 73 to land seven shots back.

Michelle Wie shot a 73 to finish at 3 under. She also posted a 73 on Thursday, but was able to rebound Friday with a 67.

Ochoa was cruising at 15 under -- three shots ahead of Kang and seven up on Sorenstam -- when her drive landed in a bush on No. 16. As Ochoa, caddie Tom Thorpe and two marshals looked for the ball, it rolled into view near them.

Officials didn't know if the ball was dislodged by the search, but forced Ochoa to re-drop it in the bush, where it stayed without rolling. The unplayable lie cost her a stroke, and Ochoa took two more shots to reach the green and two-putted for a double bogey-6.

However, the former University of Arizona player stil stands atop the leaderboard.

Her race with Kang for the lead turned on the 13th hole, the longest on the course at 552 yards, where both teed off tied at 13 under. Ochoa hit a wood out of the rough on her second shot, leaving a 90-yard wedge to the green, and sank a 10-foot putt for a birdie. Kang, in the long grass on her third shot, couldn't get the ball to stop and three-putted from 16 feet, giving Ochoa a two-shot lead.

Both birdied the 14th hole, but Kang bogeyed the 15th when she two-putted after a bunker shot.

Ochoa, who had 14 birdies in her first two rounds, parred the first five holes before rolling in consecutive birdies putts on Nos. 6 and 7. Despite the performance, Kang kept pace with the 23-year-old, moving into a tie at 13 under with a par-3 on the 12th hole, where Ochoa's tee shot landed in a greenside bunker. Ochoa blasted out well, but two-putted from 8 feet for her third bogey of the event.

Sorenstam, the lowest scorer on the LPGA Tour four consecutive years, was also affected by the difficult conditions. She birdied the first hole, double-bogeyed the third, birdied the ninth, bogeyed the 17th and birdied the 18th.

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