LPGA Notebook : The Times Were Tough During Saturday’s Third-Round Play

Tough Times: Nancy Lopez, the defending Uniden Invitational champion, shot a course record-tying 66 in last year’s third round. But she didn’t come close to matching that score Saturday.

“I was putting like a crazy fool,” she said after shooting a one-over-par 73. “I was hitting the ball too close to not make any putts. I’m hoping things will get better tomorrow.”

Lopez is at even-par 216 after three rounds. She trails leader Bonnie Lauer by seven shots.

Add Tough Times: Alexandra Reinhardt, who started Saturday’s third round at one-under, skied to a 76 Saturday. The Albuquerque, N.M., golfer’s biggest stumbling block came on the seventh hole, a 168-yard par 3. After pushing her tee shot way right--about 35 yards from the pin--it took her two chips and two putts to make a double bogey 5.

Final Add Tough Times: Playing in the same group as Reinhardt, Pat Meyers’ troubles came on the 367-yard ninth hole when she three-putted for a double-bogey 6 to drop her from three-under to one-under. Meyers finished the day with a 75 to put her one-over for three rounds. Meyer shot a 70 on Thursday for a share of the first-round lead.

Secret Weapon: Following her tee shot on the eighth hole, Bonnie Lauer reached into her golf bag and pulled out half a sandwich that she munched en route to her second shot. What was in the lunch of the leader?

Peanut butter and banana.

Good News, Bad News: Hollis Stacy received some of the former on No. 7 when she recorded the first hole-in-one of the tournament. Stacy used a four-iron to ace the 168-yard hole.

Later in the day, a bad stroke--a stroke of the pencil--prematurely ended Barb Bunkowsky’s stay in the tournament. Bunkowsky shot a third round of 76, but mistakingly signed 75 on her card. (She had bogeyed No. 18, but her card read par).

Bunkowsky spotted the error after she left the 18th green and pointed it out to tournament officials, who were forced to disqualify Bunkowsky.

United They Stand, Divided They Fall: They dissolved the proficient partnership of Jane Blalock and Pat Meyers, who had successfully double-teamed Mesa Verde while playing the tournament’s first two rounds in the same group. Playing each hole for side bets (a beer for a birdie, a beer for a bogey), the duo had produced some impressive early results--Meyers shot a 70 on Thursday, Blalock a 67 on Friday.

But when they grouped players together Saturday in accordance to their scores, Blalock and Meyers wound up in different threesomes. And as far as top-notch golf goes, breaking up is apparently hard to do.

Both Blalock and Meyers struggled through rounds of 75, three-over-par, to fall far off the lead. Blalock is at even-par (216) after three rounds, seven strokes off the lead. Meyers is one-over at 217, eight strokes back.

Time Is Money: It took the average threesome four hours and two minutes to play 18 holes Saturday.