Kane & Pak tied for lead

Lorie Kane got some advice from Judy Rankin on how to win and from former British Open champion Ian Baker-Finch on how to putt. The best help of all came from Se Ri Pak, who let everybody back into the race today in the LPGA Tour Championship.

Pak lost a five-stroke lead and had to rally for a 2-over-par 74 that left her tied at 206 with Kane and set up what should be a fantastic finish to the LPGA season.

"I'm able to talk about winning because I want to win," Kane said after a 68 that gave her yet another chance for her first LPGA Tour victory.

So is just about everybody else.

Just one stroke behind was Juli Inkster, who charged back with three birdies on the back nine for a 69 that put her in position to win for the sixth time this year and capture the points-based player-of-the year.

That can only happen if Inkster wins and Karrie Webb finishes in a two-way tie for second or worse. It shouldn't be too hard to keep track since Inkster and Webb will be paired together in the second-to-last group.

"I'm very surprised to be back in the race," Inkster said. "I thought Se Ri would run away with this thing. This is just the way a Tour Championship should be."

Despite two three-putts, Webb pieced together a 70 and was at 8-under 208, also primed to become the first player since 1990 to win seven times in a season. And don't forget about defending champion Laura Davies, tied with Webb at 208.

"It's set up for a perfect finish," Davies said. "It couldn't be set up any stronger."

They all can thank Pak for that.

The 21-year-old South Korean finally changed her fortunes at the slot machines, walking out of the casino with a cup full of coins. That didn't help her at the Desert Inn Golf Club, where she dropped four shots on the first 10 holes to turn a rout into a race.

"My tee shots made me work a lot. My putting a problem, too. Otherwise, everything is OK," said Pak, who lost her lead but not her sense of humor.

It all started on the third hole, when a drive slightly to the left caught the base of a tree and ricocheted out of bounds. Pak saved bogey by holing a bunker shot, but she three-putted from about 20 feet on the next hole to start the downward spiral.

What saved her was a 50-foot birdie putt on No. 11, followed by a 10-foot birdie and all pars the rest of the way.

"Pretty good to finish 2-over," she said.

Pak will be paired with Kane, her best friend on tour and the brightest bulb on the LPGA Tour with a smile that leaps from her freckled-face. Perhaps that has helped the hard-luck Canadian endure eight runner-up finishes, including three this year.

One of those was in the Japan Airlines Big Apple Classic, where Pak and several others waited around with champagne in case Kane won. She lost after a five-hole playoff.

Kane talked with Rankin, a 26-time winner on tour and now a television analyst who told her she had the tools to win.

"The great thing is, I keep giving myself opportunities," Kane said. "Yet again, we have another opportunity, and we'll see what happens."

Indeed, anything is possible.

Webb, whose six victories this year includes a come-from-behind thriller for her first major championship in the du Maurier Classic, has yet to make a birdie past the 10th hole all week.

While she hasn't hit the ball particularly well, Webb feels as though she's close. And at least she has a chance, thanks to Pak.

"She brought about 15 people into the tournament," Webb said. "Two shots behind is definitely the position I like to be in. And hopefully, I can do some of that stuff I've done all year."

DIVOTS: Laura Davies of England woke up at 4:45 a.m. today to go to the Tropicana and watch England defeat Scotland 2-0 in soccer. "A nice way to start the day," she said. ... Rosie Jones celebrated her 40th birthday today with a 5-under 67. ... Lorie Kane continues to wear a black ribbon in honor of Payne Stewart. Kane passed out the ribbons to her teammates during the Nichirei International team event in Japan two weeks ago. ... Colin Cann, the former caddie for Annika Sorenstam who now works for Grace Park, was on the course today as a yardage marker for ESPN Sports. ... LPGA Tour commissioner Ty Votaw spent his afternoon walking the course with the final three groups.