Saturday, April 22, 2006
ASSOCIATED PRESS
STOCKBRIDGE, Ga. -- Defending champion Annika Sorenstam shot an 8-under 64 on Saturday -- her third straight round in the 60s -- to take the third-round lead in the Florida's Natural Charity Championship.
Shrugging off a couple of rain delays, Sorenstam finished up in the next-to-last group just as the sun was dipping below the trees at Eagle's Landing Country Club.
A year ago, Sorenstam had essentially wrapped up the tournament by the end of the third round, taking a 10-stroke lead to Sunday and winning by the same margin. This time, she'll go to the final 18 holes with a one-stroke cushion over 36-hole leader Sung Ah Yim, who posted a bogey-free 68.
Still, it would be a major surprise if Sorenstam doesn't hang on to the lead.
The Swedish star's the only two-time winner of this event, and has a chance to become the first to win it back-to-back. Her closest challenger is a 22-year-old South Korean who's in her second year on the LPGA Tour and has never finished higher than third. No one else was within five shots of Sorenstam's 17-under 199 total.
Shell Houston Open
HUMBLE, Texas -- Stuart Appleby remained in position to join Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson as the only two-time winners on the PGA Tour this year, shooting a 3-under 69 to take a two-stroke lead in the Shell Houston Open.
Appleby had five birdies in his third straight sub-70 round at The Tournament Course at Redstone to finish at 14 under. The Australian bogeyed the difficult 18th.
Sweden's Mathias Gronberg birdied the 18th for a 67 and a 12-under total. Jerry Smith (69) and Bob Estes (66), who lives in Austin, were four shots back at 10 under.
Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf
SAVANNAH, Ga. -- Jay Haas shot a 4-under 68 to take a two-stroke lead over Craig Stadler in the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf.
Haas had a 10-under 135 total on The Club at Savannah Harbor, a 7,087-yard island layout in the middle of the Savannah River. Stadler shot a 67.