Editors' Blog Blogger Bio

Kerr, Ochoa Heating Up

Cristie Kerr's lowest round in a U.S. Open (69) came at Pine Needles in 2001. She's looking to do that several shots better in the third round of this year's 62nd U.S. Women's Open championship. Kerr, six shots back of Angela Park entering Saturday's third round, shot a front-nine 31 and was 5-under par on the day through 13 holes when play was suspended due to darkness.

Kerr came out firing with birdies on hole Nos. 2, 4, 5 and 7 and added a birdie on the par-4 11th to move into a three-way tie for second place at 4-under par with Mexico's Lorena Ochoa (-4 thru 11 holes) and second-round leader Park (+1 thru 10 holes). They're all chasing Korea's Ji-Yai Shin (-1 thru 10), who birdied her final hole of the day, the par-5 10th hole, to take sole ownership of the lead. Shin is playing in only her third LPGA event and second major. She finished in a tie for 15th at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.

Ochoa, seeking her first major championship to validate her No. 1 world ranking, also made her charge on the easier front nine at Pine Needles, birdieing holes 1, 3 and 9. She also birdied the 10th hole.

Two shots back of the leader was Nabisco champion Morgan Pressel (-3 thru 11 holes). Paraguay's Julieta Granada (+1 thru 11 holes) was three shots back.

The third round will resume tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m., with the fourth and final round scheduled to begin at approximately 10:45 a.m. Once again, players will go off both tees (1 and 10). Isolated thunderstorms are in the forecast for Sunday morning, although the storms predicted for Saturday stayed away for the first time all week. Play had been suspended twice on Friday because of dangerous weather, pushing the third round back to 3:40 p.m. on Saturday.

Kerr has nine LPGA Tour wins on her resume, but none in 2007. She has been playing well of late, however, posting a third-place finish at the Ginn Tribute earlier this month and a fourth at last week's Wegmans LPGA. Ochoa is coming off a win at Wegmans, her third of the season and 12th career LPGA victory overall. Ochoa is trying to shed the label as the "Best Player Not to Have Won a Major" this week. She nearly captured that elusive major two years ago at Cherry Hills, but made a triple-bogey 8 on her final hole to finish three shots back of eventual winner Birdie Kim. Ochoa also lost in a sudden-death playoff to Karrie Webb at the 2006 Kraft Nabisco.