Sheehan Back in Usual Spot, Leads by Three

As Patty Sheehan looked at the leader board Saturday, she noticed a name that had been missing for several weeks on the Ladies Professional Golf Assn. tour.

Patty Sheehan .

“It’s like coming home again,” Sheehan said. “I feel like I should be here.”

Sheehan will begin the Kyocera Inamori’s final round today with a three-stroke lead at 208 after shooting a four-under par 68 Saturday at the Bernardo Heights Country Club in San Diego. Pat Bradley and Ayako Okamoto are tied at 211, and Atsuko Hikage, Deb Richard and Jan Stephenson are tied at 212. Bradley, the second-round leader, had two double-bogeys Saturday, and shot 74.

If Sheehan wins today, it will be her third victory in this tournament since 1982. She won in 1982 at San Jose and in 1983 at Torrey Pines. There was no tournament in 1984; Sheehan missed last year’s tournament after suffering from food poisoning the night before play began.

Ever since Sheehan won the Sarasota tournament two months ago, she has been in the rough. She missed a cut for only the third time in her career in her next outing, then tied for 43rd, ninth, seventh and 38th places before this week’s event.

Though Sheehan was 38th in last week’s Dinah Shore tournament, she said she her game started coming around. Sheehan said she still was hitting a lot of bad shots, but at least some good shots were falling, too.

“I seem to go through this once a year,” Sheehan said. “It’s my annual little mini-slump. If this is as bad as it gets, that’s good.”

Sheehan got a big assist when Bradley faltered on two par three holes.

On the 172-yard ninth hole, Bradley said she guessed the wind was blowing from left to right. She hit a five-iron to the left, hoping her ball would blow back in. Instead, the ball landed in the left sand trap. Bradley three-putted the hole, missing a short putt for bogey.

Bradley said she hit a bad five-iron on the 161-yard 16th hole, then had her chip shot run off the green. After another chip, she two-putted for double-bogey.

“I don’t think I have had two double-bogeys in a long, long, long time, especially on par-three holes,” Bradley said. “I can see it happening with water or hitting from behind a tree. Those holes were not that difficult.”

Bradley was one-under after four holes before running into a difficult streak for six holes. She had a double-bogey on No. 9 and three bogeys through No. 10.

“I don’t know what happened,” Bradley said. “It’s as baffling to me as anyone else. I have to admit I have a headache. It was cold, and the wind was strong in spots. That’s no excuse because a lot of other people played extremely well.”

Although Sheehan bogeyed the first hole, she began playing well. Sheehan had birdies on the second, fourth, ninth and 11th holes, turning what had been a four-stroke deficit into a three-stroke lead.

Sheehan bogeyed the 12th, losing two strokes to Bradley. After both birdied the 13th, they were tied again when Bradley birdied the 14th and Sheehan made par.

Bradley lost two strokes with her double-bogey on the 16th, then Sheehan gained another stroke with a birdie on No. 18. Bradley, who won last week’s tournament at Rancho Mirage, has recorded 15 of her 17 career wins coming from behind the final day.

Said Sheehan: “It feels good to be three in front. I don’t care who’s chasing me. Let them chase me.”

Okamoto, who began the day at two-under, joined the chase by shooting a 69. She putted just 27 times and did not have a bogey.

Last July, Okamoto suffered a herniated ruptured disc in her back, forcing her to miss six months. She played with a hot pack on her back on a cold and windy Saturday.