Inkster
shoots 65 for share of third-round lead
NAPLES, Fla. With
one bad swing, Karrie Webb turned a possible wire-to-wire victory for herself
into a 10-player race entering the final round of the Naples LPGA Memorial.
The Australian took a triple-bogey
on the 14th hole during today's third round and fell into a tie for first at 12-under-par
with Juli Inkster.
Five other golfers, including last week's winner Kelly Robbins, are one shot back.
"One bad swing on
No. 14 cost me a three-shot lead," said Webb, who got to 15-under before playing
the par-4, 393-yard hole. "My game is great right now. I just had one bad hole
to cost me the lead." On
the 14th, Webb hooked her tee shot out of bounds on the left side of the fairway.
After re-teeing with a stroke-and-distance penalty, she hit her fourth shot right
off the green and then failed to get up-and-down for double bogey. Inkster,
meanwhile, had the round of the day with a 7-under 65 at The Club at Pelican Strand.
Despite windy conditions similar to Friday's second round, Inkster played the
first 11 holes at 6-under, including an eagle on the par-5 11th hole.
Playing down wind, Inkster
hit a 6-iron into the 457-yard hole and made a 15-foot putt for an eagle. She
added a 25-foot birdie putt on No. 14 for her best round since the Standard Register
Ping last March. "I
played really well today. I hit my irons well. I putted well," Inkster said. "I
was glad it was windy so someone wouldn't run away with it." Robbins
hopes it's windy again Sunday. If not for consecutive three-putts on the 17th
and 18th holes, she would be leading. Robbins, who finished with a 68, actually
had the lead at 13-under before struggling on the final two greens. "I
gave a couple back and that's hard to do, but I'm glad there's another day," she
said. Also lurking
behind Webb and Inkster at 11-under is four-time major winner Hollis Stacy and
veterans Meg Mallon, Helen Alfredsson and Tracy Hanson. A
victory for Stacy would be her first since the 1991 Crestar-Farm Fresh Classic.
With three consecutive rounds under par, including today's 3-under 69, Stacy said
she's playing her best golf in a long time. "No
one expects me to win," said Stacy, 44, who had arthroscopic knee surgery in September.
"But I'm in contention and I'm going to be in contention many times this year."
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