The pressure of winning her third straight major championship isn't a problem for Juli Inkster. The problem is Laura Davies.

Inkster's bid to make history and the Hall of Fame suffered a setback today when she failed for the first time in 27 rounds to break par, and Davies again overpowered Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club to build a two-stroke lead in the du Maurier Classic.

"She's going to be a tough one to beat," Inkster said after a 2-over 74 left her four strokes behind. "I'm going to have to go out there and shoot a real good score tomorrow, because I just don't see Laura backing up."

History alone was enough to suggest that Inkster had her work cut out for her. Pat Bradley, Mickey Wright, Babe Zaharias and Ben Hogan are the only other players to have won three majors in one season.

The stark reality came on a cool and gloomy Saturday in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, as Inkster watched Davies pound drivers on the par-5s, use missile-like irons for position on the par-4s and make a slew of putts along the way.

When Davies made birdie on the 18th after a 50-foot bunker shot trickled down the shelf next to the hole for a tap-in, she sauntered off the course with a 3-under 69 and a two-stroke lead over Dawn Coe-Jones.

"If I shoot the best round tomorrow, then I obviously win," said Davies, who was at 9-under 207. Davies also won the du Maurier in 1996, the only other time in its 26-year history it was played in the province of Alberta.

Coe-Jones put on a terrific display of lag putting on the back nine in a steady round of 72 that left her at 209. She can become the first Canadian to win the du Maurier since Jocelyn Bourassa in its inaugural year of 1973.

Even only two strokes back, it doesn't figure to be easy.

"I don't know if anybody has seen, but she can hit it pretty far," she said of Davies. "She's got the complete game when she is on."

Catriona Matthew of Scotland twice held the lead before settling for a 72 that left her at 210. Karrie Webb had the best round of the day, a 6-under 66 that shot her into contention to win her first major. She was tied with Inkster at 211.

"I had to do what I did or I didn't have a chance at winning," Webb said. "My mindset is totally different."

Inkster, meanwhile, finally looked human in a major. She missed six birdie putts inside 10 feet and also missed a 2-foot par putt. She also landed in four fairway divots, two of which led to bogeys.

The 74 was her first round over par since a 73 in the final round of the Chick-Fil-A Charity Classic on April 25.

"I just was having trouble picking my spot and stroking it there," Inkster said. "But I'm encouraged by the way I hit the ball. I'm four back, but I think I'm capable of going out there and shooting a good score."

She had a four-stroke lead after 54 holes in the U.S. Open and won by five. She trailed by only one stroke in the LPGA Championship and won by four.

"I've been the leader, I've been in the hunt and now I am coming from behind," Inkster said. "So if you can win all three, you might as well do it a little different each time."

It won't be easy, not with Davies seemingly back in the same form that carried her to four major championships and 55 victories around the world.

The only thing more frightening that seeing Inkster at the top in a major championship this year is seeing Davies rolling in putts in any tournament. The 35-year-old from England has perhaps the most talent of anyone on the LPGA Tour. Only her putting has kept her from winning since the Tour Championship in November.

That doesn't seem to be the case this week. Davies has slowly been building confidence with the putter, which has put her in position to win her fifth major championship. Asked how long her putting stroke could hold out, Davies smiled.

"The last time it lasted three years, and I won 27 times," she said.

Still, Davies is all about power. She can hit 3- and 4-irons into the par-5s when everyone else has a fairway wood in their hands. And she is combining strength with savvy to avoid the penalizing rough of Priddis Greens.

Davies has used her driver only on the par-5s. On the 458-yard, par-5 third hole, she hit 3-iron off the tee and 5-iron into the green for a two-putt birdie from 20 feet. On No. 14, a 399-yard hole, she laid back with a 3-iron and then hit a 6-iron just past the green from 203 yards away.

"She's got a slight advantage, no doubt about that," Coe-Jones said.

DIVOTS: Karrie Webb's mother traveled from Australia to be with her for the week, touring Calgary and Banff Springs. "She's had fun, as well as charging up and down the hills watching me play," Webb said. ... Mi Hyun Kim got the fourth ace of the week, a 4-iron from 173 yards on No. 11. ... Laura Davies and Dawn Coe-Jones will play together for the fourth straight round on Sunday. .... A Purple Heart should go to Cindy McCurdy. She sprained her ankle when she slipped on a railroad tie on Wednesday, but has managed to limp around hilly Priddis Greens. McCurdy, the president of the LPGA executive committee, had a 76 and was at 4-over 220. ... A.J. Eathorne, the Canadian rookie who had to withdraw because of an injured back, decided to stick around and do commentary for Canadian TV.

AP