Ai Miyazato and her caddie after the third round of the HSBC Women's Champions tournament at Singapore. Below, joint leader Juli Inkster in action. Both images by courtesy of Getty Images/HSBC Women's Champions.

Ai Miyazato eyes second win

-

in as many weeks

By Lewine Mair, http://www.hsbcgolf.com/
Juli Inkster and Ai Miyazato, who are sharing the lead on seven under par going into the last round of the HSBC Women's Champions at Tannah Bay Resort's Garden Course, Singapore, could not make for a greater contrast.
Inkster is 49 and has been talking about this year being her last on tour. Miyazato, for her part, is 24 and is only now beginning to reach her potential. Where Inkster has bagged seven majors and a total of 31 LPGA titles, Miyazato notched her first LPGA win at the 2009 Evian. As for her second, that came in Thailand last week as she had a last-round 63 to seize the title from Suzann Pettersen.
Inkster says that if she could come out on top tomorrow, it would be “one of my best wins ever,” partly because she has not won since the 2006 Safeway tournament and partly because her game has been playing up over the last few years.
She was still at odds with her irons at the start of this week but, in practising yesterday evening, she realised that there was a touch of the bad workman blaming his tools. Once she moved the ball forward in her stance, everything fell into place.
Today, she was hitting all her shots well, with her only mistake one of letting a few putts get away.
Asked if she thought her greater experience would tell tomorrow, Inkster was quick to say that she feels like the underdog. “Ai,” she pointed out, “won last week so that experience has to be the more relevant.”
Miyazato, who describes Juli as one of her idols, is no less desperate to get her hands on the trophy. Since the Women’s HSBC Champions is viewed at Asia’s major, she knows that this title would go down well in her homeland.
It was Miyazato who came up with the shot of the day at Tanah Merah, one which detonated a roar to match that of any of the planes taking off at the adjacent Changi Airport. Having driven the green at the 269 yards 16th, she had a swirling putt of 15 meters for the eagle. Stroke perfect and head well down, she was soon breaking into a run as the ball chased towards the hole. “I was so happy,” she said.
If Inkster were to win and to carry on playing good golf throughout the season, she could well have a change of heart about retirement. After all, it was the struggles she was having with her swing which were telling her to call it a day. “It’s when you don’t want to go out there and hit balls that you know that it’s time,” she said.
After yesterday’s good play, the light was back in her eye – and her fans will be hoping that it stays there.
Both Inkster and Miyazato are well aware that they are not free of the pack. Momoko Ueda, Sun Young Yoo, Hee-Won Han and Hee Young Park are all lurking on five under par, with Suzann Pettersen, Cristie Kerr and Yani Tseng one shot further back.
Meanwhile, Michelle Wie gave herself half a chance when she added a 69 to a Thursday 72 and a Friday 73. Where, on Thursday, Wie finished bogey, bogey, she signed off today with a couple of birdies. In other words, with all guns blazing.

Catriona Matthew had a 73 for 221 - 12 shots off the pace.

THIRD-ROUND TOTALS

Par 216 (3x72)

Players from United States unless stated otherwise
209 Ai Miyazato (Japan) 69 71 69, Juli Inkster 70 70 69
211 Sun Young Yoo (South Korea) 70 70 71, Momoko Ueda (Japan) 75 68 68, Hee-Won Han (South Korea) 73 67 71, Hee Young Park (South Korea) 68 74 69
212 Yani Tseng (Taiwan) 74 67 71, Cristie Kerr 68 73 71, Suzann Pettersen (Norway) 70 70 72
213 Vicky Hurst 73 71 69, Na Yeon Choi (South Korea) 73 69 71, In-Kyung Kim (South Korea) 70 72 71, Sakura Yokomine (Japan) 73 71 69, Angela Stanford 68 71 74
214 Lindsey Wright (Australia) 72 71 71, Karrie Webb (Australia) 70 72 72, Amy Yang 73 70 71, Song-Hee Kim (South Korea) 69 70 75, Maria Hjorth (Swe) 73 70 71, Inbee Park (South Korea) 72 73 69, Jee Young Lee (South Korea) 73 73 68, Michelle Wie 72 73 69, Jiyai Shin (South Korea) 71 71 72
215 Mika Miyazato (Japan) 73 72 70, Katherine Hull (Australia) 71 72 72
216 Anna Nordqvist (Sweden) 73 73 70, Brittany Lincicome 71 73 72, Hwa seon Lee (South Korea) 73 71 72, Shanshan Feng (China) 74 72 70
217 Sophie Gustafson (Sweden) 69 74 74
218 Chie Arimura (Japan) 74 74 70, Stacy Prammanasudh 73 71 74, Se Ri Pak (South Korea) 74 74 70, Eunjung Yi (South Korea) 72 74 72, Meaghan Francella 72 74 72, Kristy McPherson 70 77 71
219 Meena Lee (South Korea) 75 70 74, Nicole Castrale 77 74 68, Candie Kung (Taiwan) 71 76 72, Christina Kim 69 75 75, Kyeong Bae (South Korea) 73 76 70
220 Shinobu Moromizato (Japan) 74 72 74, Teresa Lu (Taiwan) 72 74 74, Morgan Pressel 74 73 73, Lorena Ochoa (Mexico) 68 79 73, Helen Alfredsson (Sweden) 78 70 72, Stacy Lewis 76 71 73
221 Catriona Matthew (Scotland) 73 75 73, Soo-Yun Kang (South Korea) 77 72 72
222 Angela Park (Brazil) 76 69 77
223 Natalie Gulbis 73 77 73, M.J. Hur (South Korea) 73 74 76
225 Jimin Kang (South Korea) 77 75 73, Eun Hee Ji (South Korea) 77 72 76, Brittany Lang 76 72 77
226 Pat Hurst 78 74 74, Bo-Bae Song (South Korea) 80 72 74, Sandra Gal (Germany) 73 77 76
227 Ji-Young Oh (South Korea) 74 77 76, Wendy Ward 75 77 75
229 Michele Redman 74 79 76
232 Amanda Blumenherst 77 76 79
245 Joey Poh (Singapore) 82 80 83

First-time leader Sarah Kemp has Big

Laura on her tail in NZ Women's Open

FROM THE STUFF.CO.NZ GOLF NEWS SERVICE
Sarah Kemp has never led into the final round of a professional golf tournament before, but the 24-year-old Australian is keenly awaiting the challenge in the final round of the women's New Zealand Open at Pegasus Golf Club, Christchurch tomorrow, even if she is being stalked by one of the legends of the game in England's Laura Davies.
After a day third round the field was almost brought to its knees by a strong winds, Kemp, pictured above, is six-under par on 210, after shooting a two-over 74 today. That leaves her one clear of Davies, who carded 71, with a further shot to Wales' Becky Brewerton.
Considering that American Diana D'Alessio led the field through two rounds at nine under, the strength of the wind, which grew as the day progressed, turned a pleasant morning stroll into a battle for survival. Only 16 players bettered par today, almost all with early morning starts.
Kemp is better equipped than most to handle coastal windy conditions, having learned her game at the New South Wales Golf Club but even she struggled in today's buffeting conditions.
"I didn't think I kept my focus at all well and didn't feel if I played well, but I hung in there for my two over," Kemp said.
Kemp found the wind affected her putting most.
"I would stand over the ball and it would start to shake. It was causing me to change my routine and I shouldn't have done that. I just have to stand over the ball and be confident."
Kemp had to be mentally strong to keep from being affected by the woes of her playing companions. Overnight leader D'Alessio dropped seven shots in six holes - between the 12th and 17th - in her round of 79 while South African Ashleigh Simon dropped eight shots between the 11th and 16th in her 78.
"I'm heading to the putting green for 20 minutes just to hear the ball dropping into the cup. It will be easy to wipe out today and concentrate on tomorrow," Kemp said.
Whereas tomorrow is new ground for Kemp, it is not the case for Davies, who is in good touch after three weeks in Australia and one in Thailand as preparation for this tournament.
"I started off well with four birdies and two three-putt bogeys, which was disappointing, and was cruising, but we turned into the wind on the eighth and it was a different ball game," Davies said.
"I was swinging pretty well to be honest, but just had to concentrate on making pars, but even that was difficult."
To show the magnitude of the wind, Davies hit an eight iron 211m through the green on the 18th, while on the 475m par-five 16th she hit driver, three iron, three iron compared with driver, four iron, sand iron the day before.
"Hopefully it will be a fine day tomorrow and the good crowds will be able to see players shooting birdies, not just surviving," she said.
Heading the New Zealand charge is Wellington's Sarah Nicholson and 12-year-old amateur Lydia Ko on one-under 215 and in a tie for 11th after rounds of 74 and 71 respectively. Cecilia Cho, the third New Zealander to survive the cut, shot a 76 and is tied for 44th.
Krystle Caithness had a 72 for 218 and fellow-Scot Lynn Kenny a 72 for 219.

ALL THE THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72). Players from Australia unless stated otherwise
210 Sarah Kemp 69 67 74
211 Laura Davies (Eng) 69 71 71
212 Becky Brewerton (Wal) 72 69 71
213 Marianne Skarpnord (Nor) 65 73 75, You-na Park (Kor) 73 69 71, Lorie Kane (Can) 73 66 74, Nina Reis (Swe) 72 70 71
214 Georgina Simpson (Eng) 78 69 67, Diana D'Alessio (USA) 67 68 79, Mina Harigae (USA) 73 73 68
215 Tamara Beckett 71 70 74, Linda Wessberg (Swe) 72 70 73, Hye youn Kim (Kor) 73 69 73, Lydia Ko (Nzl) 71 73 71, Stefanie Michl (Aut) 71 69 75, Caroline Rominger (Swi) 73 72 70, Iben Tinning (Den) 73 71 71, Bettina Hauert (Ger) 75 70 70, Cecilie Lundgreen (Nor) 71 73 71, Sarah Nicholson (Nzl) 71 70 74
216 Karen Lunn 76 71 69, Ashleigh Simon (Rsa) 68 70 78, Beth Allen (USA) 73 69 74, Florentyna Parker (Eng) 72 75 69, An-na Oh (Kor) 68 74 74, Gwladys Nocera (Fra) 73 71 72
217 Becky Morgan (Wal) 73 74 70, Dewi Schreefel (USA) 69 72 76, Louise Stahle (Swe) 74 67 76, Alison Walshe (USA) 72 72 73
218 Taylor Leon (USA) 72 75 71, Hannah Ralph (Eng) 73 75 70, Pernilla Lindberg (Swe) 73 70 75, Christel Boeljon (Ned) 73 73 72, Krystle Caithness (Sco) 74 72 72, Kristie Smith 68 76 74
219 Hazel Kavanagh (Irl) 74 70 75, Lynn Kenny (Sco) 76 71 72, Rebecca Flood 71 71 77, Katie Futcher (USA) 72 71 76, Sarah Oh (Kor) 71 72 76, Leanne Bowditch 74 71 74, Emma Cabrera Bello (Spa) 74 73 72
220 Wendy Doolan 73 69 78, Kym Larratt (Eng) 72 74 74, Rebecca Coakley (Irl) 72 74 74, Lydia Hall (Wal) 76 70 74, Sophie Giquel (Fra) 71 72 77, Lee-Anne Pace (Rsa) 72 74 74, Cecilia Cho (Nzl) 73 71 76, Sarah-jane Smith 72 73 75, Mi-sun Cho (Kor) 74 71 75
221 Jane Park (USA) 76 69 76, Azahara Munoz (Spa) 71 73 77, Melissa Reid (Eng) 73 74 74, Rebecca Hudson (Eng) 73 75 73
222 Sophie Walker (Eng) 73 75 74, Katy Jarochowicz 76 71 75, Leah Hart 74 73 75, Bree Turnbull 71 73 78, Nicole Montgomery 77 71 74
223 Jessica Noh 72 76 75
224 Joanne Mills 75 69 80, Kate Combes 71 75 78, Elizabeth Bennett (Eng) 72 73 79
225 Danielle Bowers (Eng) 74 74 77
226 Caroline Afonso (Fra) 75 71 80