[ LPGA GOLF ]
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Michelle Wie hit from the sand trap on the 17th hole yesterday during the LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship.
Wie’s in the hunt
Park leads, but the Punahou
freshman is only 2 shots behind
going into today's final round
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. » Grace Park was playing her own game, and doing it quite well. Paired with teen sensation Michelle Wie, she managed to stay focused enough to move into a tie for the lead in the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
Still, Park, the former Honolulu resident, couldn't help sneaking a peek or two at the freshman from Punahou School along the way.
What she saw impressed her more than any 300-yard drive.
"There was not a sign to show she was 14 years old," Park said. "That was really impressive."
The future of women's golf was on full display yesterday in the LPGA's first major championship of the year, where Wie shot a methodical 3-under 69 to move within two shots of the lead going into the final round.
It wasn't only Wie, though the lanky teen was the one getting most of the attention. Playing just behind her was 17-year-old Aree Song, who has been around so long she seems more like a grizzled veteran than someone playing in only her fourth pro tournament.
Park shot a 5-under 67, and Song had a 69 to top the leaderboard filled with a mixture of youth and proven winners.
"I think I set myself up for a pretty nice day tomorrow," Song said. "I've always dreamt about this."
On a day when Annika Sorenstam played early and almost unnoticed, Wie and Song showed notice that they're not here just to compete today.
Both have already done that as 13-year-olds. Now they have something bigger in mind -- like the traditional winner's jump in the pond surrounding the 18th green.
"Last year I didn't know how well I could shoot or how bad I could shoot," Wie said. "This time I am trying to win it or like be in the top five at least."
So is Park, who has a little more experience at this kind of thing.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Michelle Wie teed off at the fifth hole yesterday during the third round of the LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Wie finished at 6 under, tied for fourth place.
In her fifth year on tour, Park believes her time has finally come to win a major championship. If she can play today like she did in the third round, that time will come.
Park and Song were 8 under. Jung Yeon Lee was a shot back, while Wie and Karrie Webb were another stroke behind.
Park, the old lady of the leaders at the age of 25, birdied four holes in a row beginning at No. 7 on her way to a bogey-free round in a tournament she too used to play in as an amateur.
The difference for Park is she never did very well in the Nabisco -- at least until this week. Now she feels like she's ready to win a major title, and ready to prove herself under final-round pressure.
"I'm ready. I've been ready. I'll be ready," Park said. "I crave winning more than ever."
Park was coasting along with pars until she hit a punch 9-iron to the seventh hole to begin a streak of birdies that didn't end until she birdied the 10th from 4 feet.
Youth is impressive, but so is maturity. And Park, who has won four times on tour, believes she is now at the point where she is ready for a breakthrough year.
"I said at the beginning of the year that this is my year to win more, step up and be ready," Park said. "I think I deserve it now more than in the past because I've worked hard for it."
Wie birdied the first two holes and salvaged a par on the ninth when she skulled a wedge over the green but got a break when it hit a garbage can. She then played the back nine in 1 under for her second 69 of the week.
"I'm doing pretty well right now," she said. "I think everything's really dramatically better than last year."
Wie has overshadowed Song all week, even when Song opened with a 66, the low round of the tournament. Like Wie, Song played here as a 13-year-old and recorded a top 10 finish.
Now, Song is in her fifth Nabisco at the age of 17, and her first major championship as a pro.
"I like to keep things nice and quiet, let my game speak for itself," said Song, who played under the last name Wongluekiet for most of her amateur career. "I can go have fun and stay under the radar."
If Song keeps playing like she is, that luxury may not last long.
She made five birdies in the third round, including a 60-footer on the 17th hole that put her in the lead with Park. She had a 5-footer to take the sole lead on the final hole, but it came up short and to the left.
"I think I've been here enough times that I'm pretty comfortable with the final round," Song said. "My game really suits this course and I like the way it seems to fit my eye."
Sorenstam began her round with the seemingly impossible task of making up nine shots over the final two rounds of a major championship. She didn't get much of it back, but she did manage her best round of the week to get back to even par.
"You saw somebody that really tried hard today," Sorenstam said. "I wanted it badly."
Sorenstam began the week talking boldly of winning all four major championships this year, something that has never been done. Her chances of the Grand Slam evaporated when she double-bogeyed the final hole Friday for a 76, but she doesn't give up easily.
Still, it seemed odd for the most dominant woman player to be teeing off on the 10th tee before only handful of fans before 8 a.m. in the third round.
"Don't count me out. I need a miracle but I'm still here," Sorenstam said. "So I'll give it a go."
