Britain’s Karen Stupples, bidding for her second major title, birdied three of the first five holes on her way to a one-shot lead in the Kraft Nabisco Championship third round on Saturday.
The 36-year-old Englishwoman was a stroke off the pace overnight and fired a sparkling four-under-par 68 to head a high-quality leaderboard with a 10-under total of 206 at Mission Hills Country Club.
Stupples sank a curling 15-footer on the 17th green for her sixth birdie of the day and a brief two-shot cushion, prompting a series of celebratory punches into the air with her left fist.
Moments later, though, Yani Tseng of Taiwan and Norwegian Suzann Pettersen birdied the par-five last for matching 67s and a share of second place at nine under.
Overnight leader Kim Song-hee of South Korea carded a 72 to lie a further two strokes back in a tie for fourth with Mexican world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa, who finished birdie-birdie for a 71.
Stupples, who played one group behind Tseng and Pettersen, lipped out from long range with her birdie attempt on 18 before tapping in for par to stay at 10 under.
“It’s huge for me,” the exuberant Briton said in a greenside interview after taking the 54-hole lead in the year’s opening major. “It’s not so much that I have the lead, it’s the fact that I’m playing well. I’d like to putt a little better but it feels like I’m right where I need to be. I’ve worked hard, I’ve been training hard and I feel like this is where I belong. I have won a major before and it’s about time I did it [again].”
Stupples, who became only the third Englishwoman to claim a major at the 2004 British Open, briefly charged three strokes ahead of the pack after launching her round with birdies at the second, third and fifth.
Although she bogeyed the seventh as the greens firmed up in baking sunshine, she recovered with a birdie at the par-five ninth to reach the turn in three-under 33.
Stupples also stumbled at the par-five 11th to slip back into a tie for the lead with Tseng before picking up further shots at the 12th and 17th to regain control.
The galleries at Mission Hills were treated to some breathtaking golf late in the day as the leading contenders peppered the flags with accurate approach shots and holed several clutch putts.
Tseng birdied the last two holes, spinning a wedge back to within three feet on 18, while Pettersen roared into the title hunt with a sizzling run of four birdies in eight holes.
Seven former major winners, including twice champion Karrie Webb of Australia and South Korea’s Shin Ji-yai, were within seven shots of the lead as they went into yesterday’s final round.
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