ASSOCIATED PRESS Michelle Wie waved after she birdied the eighth hole during yesterday's third round of the LPGA Championship.

Wie up to third

The field appears to be playing for
second place, though, with Sorenstam
holding a five-shot lead

HAVRE DE GRACE, Md. » Annika Sorenstam showed a vulnerable side to her game yesterday as Laura Davies chipped away at an eight-shot deficit until they were separated by just three shots at the LPGA Championship.

All it took was one hole for Sorenstam to look as unbeatable as ever.

Davies went for broke and wound up in grass that brushed up against her waist, making bogey. Sorenstam executed another flawless shot and made birdie, restoring her big cushion and making the second leg of the Grand Slam look like a mere formality.

"It's almost like she's toying with us, like a mouse and cat," Davies said.

Sorenstam is purring right along, posting her record 14th consecutive round in the 60s.

She played the par 5s in 1 over for the second straight day. She finished her third round with a bogey. And she still shot a 3-under 69 to build a five-shot lead going into the final round for the second straight major.

"I'm in a position I want to be in," Sorenstam said. "Hopefully, I can enjoy it tomorrow, play good golf and walk away with the trophy and good memories."

She has been down this road before.

Three months ago and 3,000 miles away in the California desert, Sorenstam built a five-shot lead through 54 holes at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, delivered an early knockout punch and won by eight shots.

This time, she got plenty of help.

Davies self-destructed by missing putts inside 2 feet, squandered her hopes with a bad drive on the 16th and ended a frustrating day with a double bogey for a 2-over 74 that left her seven shots behind, all but ending her shot at winning to get into the Hall of Fame.

"It's a race for second place," Davies said.

Sorenstam, who was at 12-under 204, will be paired in the final round with Young Kim, who had a 68 and was one of the few players who put up a steady fight on a scorching afternoon at Bulle Rock.

Michelle Wie held her own, too.

The 15-year-old from Hawaii punched a wedge into 3 feet for birdie on the 18th hole and a 1-under 71, leaving her in a five-way tie for third at 211. But just like everyone else, the prospects of winning are bleak as ever -- in part because of the margin, primarily because of the player they are chasing.

"Anything is possible," Wie said. "I'll just put the ball so close to the hole I won't have to putt."

Wie will play in the second-to-last group with Jeong Jang, who shot a 69. Also at 5-under 211 were Natalie Gulbis, who bogeyed three of her first four holes but recovered for a 73, and Moira Dunn (72).

Davies was the only who threatened Sorenstam until one bad shot wrecked a tremendous comeback.

After four birdies on the back nine to get within three shots, Davies again took a crack with her driver on the 330-yard 16th hole. This one strayed far to the right into grass so thick that even with her strength, Davies whacked a wedge with all her might to move it some 30 feet.

She hit a wedge to 6 feet and missed the putt for bogey, while Sorenstam hit a sand wedge out of the rough to 10 feet for a birdie, a two-shot swing that was devastating to Davies' chances.

Sorenstam poured it on with another birdie from 6 feet on the 17th, and Davies finished by hitting an iron off the tee and into the rough, then three-putting for double bogey.

"When you're trying to win, sometimes you mess up," Davies said. "Playing against someone as good as Annika, you've got to try to do something a bit different. This is a hard golf course to be forcing it."

Sorenstam didn't need to take those risks.

"I know what Laura is all about," Sorenstam said. "As a spectator, it's fun to watch. I try not to watch too much. She plays with her heart. I like to say I play with my brain."

It doesn't take a genius to figure out this conclusion.

Sorenstam has only blown a five-shot lead once in her career, at the 2001 State Farm Classic when Kate Golden closed with a 63. Still, that came at a time when Sorenstam wasn't nearly this dominant.

She already has won five of seven tournaments this year. She has won her last six tournaments when leading going into the final round.

"I've worked hard to get here," Sorenstam said. "I'm not going to be in my own way and let it slip away unless somebody comes out and player very, very solid. I'm here to play my best."

A victory would give her the second leg of the Grand Slam, with the U.S. Women's Open only two weeks away at Cherry Hills and no one close to Sorenstam in golf.

For Davies, it was a golden opportunity to earn the final two points she needs for the Hall of Fame, although she let it get away from her quickly, and at times, shockingly.

Haunted by putting woes that have contributed to four years without an LPGA Tour victory, Davies missed an 18-inch par putt on the opening hole, and a 2-foot putt on the ninth hole to make double bogey.

Sorenstam knocked in a 4-foot birdie putt at No. 1, and just like that, her lead doubled to four shots. That's when the murmurs began among the 20,000 fans at Bulle Rock that it would be another ceremonial Sunday at an LPGA major.

The players in front of her continued to drop shots, a testament to the course getting tougher. Sorenstam surged ahead, a testament to the best player in the game.