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WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia : Former world number one Annika Sorenstam outclassed top-ranked Lorena Ochoa in a head-to-head duel Saturday to keeps a three-stroke lead after three rounds of the LPGA Michelob Ultra Open.
Swedish legend Sorenstam, a winner in 19 of the past 20 events she has led entering the final round, fired a two-under par 69 to stand on 14-under 199 after 54 holes at Kingsmill with South Korean Jeong Jang three back after a 69.
Sorenstam, who fired two of her three lowest rounds of the past two years on Thursday and Friday, seeks her 72nd career title and a 330,000-dollar top prize at the 2.2 million-dollar event.
A birdie at the seventh and back-to-back 20-foot curving birdie putts at 13 and 14 gave Sorenstam a four-stroke lead on Jang after 17 holes.
But Sorenstam splashed her tee shot at 18 into the water and scrambled to rescue a bogey, her first of the week, to keep the same lead as she had when she began the round.
Playing alongside Sorenstam for the third day in the row, Ochoa struggled through the round after starting the day sharing second with Jang.
Ochoa opened with a birdie and added another at the seventh but followed that with bogeys on four of the next five holes and another at the par-3 17th while Sorenstam surged ahead.
Jang, who also began three back of Sorenstam, began with a bogey but bounced back with birdies at three, 11 and 14 for a round of 69 to keep within reach of the lead.
American Christina Kim was third on 203, two strokes ahead of Sweden's Maria Hjorth with Britain's Karen Stupples, Taiwan's Candie Kung and Koreans Ji-Young Oh, Jee Young Lee and In-Bee Park all on 206.
- AFP /ls
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