Pettersen 5 shots up; Rosales far afield

PRIDDIS, Alberta – Suzann Pettersen moved into position to end her 43-tournament winless streak, shooting a 5-under 66 on Saturday to take a five-stroke lead into the final round of the LPGA Canadian Women’s Open.

The tall Norwegian had a 14-under 199 total after opening with rounds of 65 and 68. She won all five of her LPGA Tour titles in 2007, and has six runner-up finishes since, including a playoff loss last week in Oregon.

Jennifer Rosales faltered with a two-over par 73 despite a birdie-birdie finish as she tumbled to joint 46th with seven others.

Rosales, who shot an eagle-spiked 69 in the second round, dropped three strokes in the first nine holes and made another bogey on No. 14 but closed out with back-to-back birdies to salvage a 38-35 card.

But with a 215 aggregate, the Filipina shotmaker stood 16 shots off Pettersen.

Angela Stanford was second after a 69, and Karrie Webb (65) was another stroke back. Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa (72) and In-Kyung Kim (69) were 7 under. Song-Hee Kim followed her tournament-record 62 with a 77 to drop into a tie for 21st at 3 under.

“I’m not trying to hold on to anything,” Pettersen said. “I’m just going to see how low (I) can go. There should be no limitations on how deep you can go on this course.”

Pettersen’s lead was six or more for much of the afternoon at a windy Priddis Green, but American Stanford rolled in a 60-foot eagle putt on the final hole to draw closer.

If Stanford needs some inspiration, she only needs to revisit her own experience in the 2006 tournament at London Hunt. She took a four-shot lead into the final round that year and ended up losing the tournament by a stroke to Cristie Kerr, who started eight shots back on Sunday.

“I thought about that coming off the tee box here on 18,” said Stanford. “You never know.”

Pettersen pulled away Saturday when only 19 of the 74 players broke par.

“It seems like the harder the conditions, the more creative I get with my shots,” Pettersen said. (AP)