Delasin shoots 69, closes in on leaders

RANCHO MIRAGE, California – Dorothy Delasin gave up distance for accuracy in the third round of the $1.5 million Nabisco Championship Saturday en route to a three-under-par 69 that pushed the Fil-American just two strokes off the leaders at the Rancho Mirage Country Club.

Delasin birdied the second, fifth, 14th and 18th holes against a bogey on the third as she wound up tied with Christie Kerr at 214. They are two strokes off leaders Karrie Webb (67) of Australia and Swedes Annika Sorenstam (71) and Liselotte Neumann (73) with 18 holes to play.

A shot behind Webb, Sorenstam and Neumann were Rosie Jones (69) and Becky Iverson (68). Lorie Kane of Canada (70), amateur Lorena Ochoa of Mexico (71) and Vicky Goetze-Ackerman (68) were at 215 followed by South Korean star Se Ri Pak (71) and three others at 216.

It was the third straight day that Delasin had birdied the par-five No. 3. Her birdie on the 18th, another par-five, came after a double-bogey on the first round and a par on the second.

Delasin, coming off a fifth place finish in Tucson, Arizona last week, hit 12 fairways and reached 14 greens in regulation behind an average drive of 229 yards. In the first two days, she averaged 265 and 242 yards off the tee for rounds of 72 and 73, respectively.

Playing only her fourth tournament of the year, the 21-year-old Delasin hit just nine fairways and reached 10 greens in regulation in the first round. In the second, she went 10 and 12, respectively, probably prompting her to rethink her strategy off the tee.

Webb, a two-time LPGA Player of the Year, had six birdied and a bogey to erase a six-shot deficit and jump from a tie for ninth to first place.

Webb has a penchant for playing well in big tournaments, winning five majors among 26 tour titles. Last season, her three victories came at a pair of majors and the tour’s championship.