LPGA

• Tseng leads Canadian Open as Ochoa, Sorenstam stumble

  
  

  Ottawa, ON (Sports Network) - Yani Tseng carded a four-under 68 Saturday to pull four strokes clear of the field after three rounds of the Canadian Women's Open.

  Tseng, who won the McDonald's LPGA Championship earlier this year, completed 54 holes at 14-under-par 202. Earlier in the day, Tseng capped a round of eight-under 64 to grab a share of the lead after two rounds.

  The second round was completed Saturday morning after play was suspended Friday due to inclement weather.

  Se Ri Pak, who had a hole-in-one on the par-three fifth, moved into second place at 10-under-par 206 after a third-round, four-under 68.

  The potential showdown between Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sorenstam fizzled in the third round as Ochoa tripped to a two-over 74 and Sorenstam stumbled to a four-over 76 at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

  Ochoa dropped from a share of the lead into a tie for third at eight-under-par 208. She is tied with Katherine Hull, who shot an even-par 72 in round three.

  Sorenstam tumbled into a tie for 14th at minus-two.

  Ochoa stumbled to bogeys on the fourth and fifth. She parred seven in a row from the sixth before tripping to another bogey on the 13th. Ochoa did manage to birdie the last to finish six back.

  Sorenstam had an equally frustrating round. She bogeyed three of the first seven holes, but regrouped with birdies at nine and 10. However, Sorenstam slid down the leaderboard with three bogeys in a five-hole stretch from the par-four 13th.

  Tseng faltered to a bogey at the first, but recovered that stroke with a birdie on the third. That moved her back into a share of the lead.

  The 19-year-old stumbled to another bogey at the fifth, but quickly atoned for that mistake with back-to-back birdies from the sixth. Those birdies gave Tseng the lead at 11-under.

  Tseng birdied the ninth to move her lead to two shots. After a bogey on 12, she ran home a birdie effort at the 13th and made it two in a row as she also birdied the 14th.

  After a pair of pars, Tseng moved to 14-under and extended her lead to five shots with a birdie at the 17th. She closed with a par at the last to lead by four after three rounds as Pak closed with a birdie to get one shot closer.

  "I feel great, but I feel so tired being out there on a long day," Tseng stated.

  "I've got a little bit of a headache, so I just tried to concentrate on every shot and play my own game." This is Tseng's first 54-hole lead on the LPGA Tour.

  Pak had a hot run on the front nine to briefly take the lead. After she birdied the third and fourth, Pak's tee shot at the par-three fifth fell into the cup for an ace.

  The stretch jumped Pak to 10-under, where she led by one. She parred 11 of the next 12 holes, but the one non-par was a bogey at the 12th. She birdied the last to finish four back.

  "I was striking the ball really well. I've been putting with pretty good speed the last couple days," Pak said. "I think everything is coming together." Paula Creamer, last year's runner-up, posted a two-under 70 and was joined in fifth place at five-under-par 211 by Song-Hee Kim (71). Laura Diaz, Hee-Won Han, Meena Lee, Jee Young Lee and Sun Young Yoo are one stroke back at minus- four.

  Among the players tied with Sorenstam at two-under 214 is Michelle Wie, who posted a three-under 69 on Saturday. Wie needs a big finish this week to avoid Q-School as this is her sixth and final sponsors exemption of the year.

  08/16 20:39:49 ET