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Ai Miyazato passes her idol, Annika Sorenstam

Ai Miyazato of Okinawa watches her shot at the ShopRite Classic in Galloway Township, New Jersey, Saturday. PHOTO: AP

Ai Miyazato idolizes Annika Sorenstam. And now, she's got her in her sights.

To win her first-ever LPGA Tour title, though, the young Japanese star will have to hold off a woman who has 67 of them and is one stroke behind her heading into Sunday's final round in the ShopRite LPGA Classic.

``She is my idol,'' Miyazato said of Sorenstam. ``She has been my idol and she is a player that I admired and someone I look up to all the time.''

The 20-year-old LPGA rookie shot a 5-under 66 Saturday to overtake Sorenstam and co-leader Michele Redman, shrugging off gusting wind, heavy rain and her own nerves in the process. After an early bogey, she made six birdies to finish at 10-under 132.

Sorenstam followed her opening 64 with a 69.

Sherri Steinhauer (66), Laura Diaz (69) and Seon-Hwa Lee (69) were 8 under, and 18-year-old Morgan Pressel (69), Catriona Matthew (69), Amy Hung (70) and Patricia Meunier-Lebouc (68) were another stroke back.

Miyazato, of Okinawa, Japan, played an awful lot like her idol on the rain-soaked Seaview Resort & Spa course Saturday. After missing a 10-foot putt for par at No. 2, she was error-free the rest of the way.

She birdied the next two holes and then connected on a 20-foot putt to pick up another stroke on the 182-yard, par-3 seventh hole.

She birdied Nos. 12 and 16 and was about to finish her round when a rain delay was called -- with her ball sitting a foot from the cup at No. 18.

Fifty-two minutes and one hamburger later, she made the birdie putt.

``She's incredible,'' Diaz said.

Miyazato started the round determined not to let recent history repeat itself.

``Yesterday, I lost some shots on the last three holes,'' she said through a translator. ``So today I just tried to make sure I stay concentrated and not do the same thing.''

She said she'll be nervous teeing it up Sunday with the LPGA Tour's marquee player.

``I will be nervous again for sure tomorrow. But I think this will be a good experience for me and it will be a plus and I'll just try to enjoy it.''

Miyazato, who won six tournaments in Japan last year, won the LPGA Tour qualifying tournament by 12 strokes last November to earn her exempt card for the 2006 season. She played in six tour events last year, her best finish a tie for ninth in the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship.
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