ASSOCIATED PRESS Michelle Wie watched her tee shot on No. 2 yesterday at the Safeway International. Wie carded a 1-over 73.

Wie falls to tie for 14th;
Ochoa clings to slim lead

The Honolulu teen sits 10 strokes
back and her first win appears
to be out of reach

SUPERSTITION MOUNTAIN, Ariz. » Lorena Ochoa isn't the kind to get rattled. Maybe that means the 23-year-old Mexican star also is one of the few who can hold off Annika Sorenstam.

Ochoa gave up a commanding lead with a double bogey on the 16th hole, finishing with a 1-under 71 yesterday to take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the Safeway International.

Honolulu 15-year-old Michelle Wie shot a 1-over 73 and is tied for 14th, 10 strokes back.

"You always have to have a big number," Ochoa said. "I mean, not always, but most of the time in a tournament you have a bad swing, bad shots, bad luck. During a four-day tournament, one of the four days you have the highest round. Hopefully today."

Ochoa, who won twice last year as an LPGA Tour sophomore, had a 13-under 203 total. Playing partner Soo-Yun Kang was second after a 70, and Sorenstam, the defending champion, was four strokes back at 9 under.

Sorenstam, who has rallied in the final round for 18 of her 57 LPGA Tour titles, shot a 72 in the unusually humid, cool conditions, but only lost one shot to Ochoa.

"Anything can happen," Sorenstam said. "I've got to play some good golf tomorrow. Some of the breaks have got to go my way, I've got to make some putts, change some things, obviously go low, but I've done it before."

Rookie Brittany Linicome shot a 66 to join Juli Inkster (69) at 8 under, and Rosie Jones had a 64 -- the best round of the tournament -- to finish at 7 under.

Jones had nine birdies and was on pace for a 63, which would have tied the Prospector Course record set by Cristie Kerr in last year's second round, until she bogeyed the 15th hole.

Almost everyone else struggled to get in the red numbers in heavy, overcast conditions and intermittent drizzle.

Liselotte Neumann had a 70 and Siew-Ai Lim, who shared the first-round lead with Ochoa, shot a 73 to land seven shots back.

Wie's 73 matched her Thursday score, which she followed Friday with a 67.

"I had no momentum," said Wie, who would need a miracle to win for the first time in 19 LPGA Tour starts. "You know, making birdies. I made a couple on the front nine, but back nine was pretty much dead."

Ochoa was cruising at 15 under -- three shots ahead of Kang and seven up on Sorenstam -- when her drive landed in a bush on No. 16. As Ochoa, caddie Tom Thorpe and two marshals looked for the ball, it rolled into view near them.

Officials didn't know if the ball was dislodged by the search, and required Ochoa to re-drop it in the bush, where it stayed without rolling. The unplayable lie cost her a stroke, and Ochoa took two more shots to reach the green and two-putted for a double bogey-6.

But it still left the former University of Arizona player atop the leaderboard.

"You've got a bad hole when you get on this (championship) type of course," said Ochoa, who also bogeyed No. 16 on Thursday and parred it Friday. "I think Annika had a couple bad holes. I made really good birdies on 13 and 14, and it was just meant to happen.

"I'm just fine and I'm in the lead and I feel very comfortable."