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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, May 16, 2010

Pak has company atop LPGA



Associated Press

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Se Ri Pak shares the Bell Micro LPGA Classic lead with Brittany Lincicome and Suzann Pettersen after two rounds.

VICTOR CALHOUN | Associated Press

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MOBILE, Ala. — Brittany "Bam Bam" Lincicome expects long drives and low scores from the jammed leaderboard in the final round of the Bell Micro LPGA Classic.

In other words, more of the same.

Norway's Suzann Pettersen shot a 7-under 65 yesterday for a share of the lead with Lincicome and Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak. Pettersen followed two birdies with an eagle on the par-5 sixth, and joined Lincicome (67) and second-round leader Pak (68) at 13 under on the Crossings Course at Magnolia Grove, part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.

Six players were within two shots of the lead, setting up a last-day scramble.

"With all those names at the top of the leaderboard, nobody's going to back down," said Lincicome, the long-hitting 24-year-old Floridian nicknamed "Bam Bam".

"Nobody's going to shoot a high number. A lot of the long hitters are at the top. Sixty-five would be nice."

A six-time winner on the LPGA Tour, Pettersen once again is in contention after finishing second twice and third once in the first five events of the season.

"I've been feeling good all year," said Pettersen, dealing with a nagging hip injury. "I've been playing really good. I've been outplayed a couple of times when I felt like what I had was going to be good enough, but that's this game. That's the beauty of this game."

The trio and others will jockey for the win with a two-tee morning start today because bad weather is forecast for the afternoon.

Na Yeon Choi (66), Jee Young Lee (66) and Azahara Munoz (67) were 11 under.

Michelle Wie, a Punahou alum and current Stanford student, had a 76 to drop to 149, last among the 73 players who made the cut.

ELSEWHERE

Three tied atop Texas Open: Brett Wetterich birdied his last three holes for a 4-under 68, and Jimmy Walker and James Nitties shot 67s to join Matt Jones atop the leaderboard in the rain-delayed Texas Open at San Antonio.

The second round was pushed back after more than 3 inches of rain washed out play Friday on the Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio. The final 36 holes will be played today.

Tour rookie Garth Mulroy (67) was a stroke back along with Charley Hoffman (70), James Driscoll (68), J.B. Holmes (70), Pat Perez (66) and Tim Petrovic (68).

Clampett in Charity lead: Dan Forsman had two eagles on his way to a tournament-record 10-under 62, leaving him a stroke behind Bobby Clampett in the Regions Charity Classic at Hoover, Ala.

The 50-year-old Clampett, a TV analyst who won the 1982 Southern Open for his lone PGA Tour title, shot a 64 to finish at 15-under 129 — the best 36-hole score in the history of the event — on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail's Ross Bridge course.

"I executed some nice shots early on, and the momentum just kept building," said Forsman, who played the four par 5s in 6 under.

Two share Mallorca lead: Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano three-putted the final hole for a 2-under 68, leaving him tied with Sweden's Pelle Edberg after the third round of the Mallorca Open at Son Servera, Spain.

Fernandez-Castano matched Edberg (71) at 4 under on the Pula Golf Club course. Australia's Scott Hend (66) was a stroke back.

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