LPGA Tournament at San Diego : Okamoto Breezes to Three-Stroke Lead

“Ochitsuku” describes the way Ayako Okamoto feels in this week’s Kyocera Inamori golf tournament.

That means “it’s relaxing” in Japanese.

Playing in front of a gallery made up of many Japanese supporters Saturday and staying at a Japanese friend’s house in Carlsbad, Okamoto has felt right at home in San Diego this week.

Her performance at the Bernardo Heights Country Club reflects that.

Okamoto shot a three-under-par 69 to increase her lead after three rounds to three strokes over Pat Bradley and Betsy King , who each shot a 71. Okamoto has led after each round and is at 11-under-par 205.

Defending champion Patty Sheehan, who shot a 71, is four strokes back, and Penny Hammel and Dale Eggeling are five behind. Hammel fired a 72, while Eggeling had a 66, the low round of the day.

“A lot of the Japanese were out there today and that was nice,” said Okamoto, through her manager and translator Margie Kato. “Unfortunately, I didn’t hit balls outside the rope, so I couldn’t go out and say hello.”

Okamoto laughed. She appeared more relaxed both on the course and in her interview with the press.

“I enjoyed my round very much because I was hitting the ball better than the last two days,” Okamoto said.

She birdied the No. 4 and No. 7 holes, bogeyed Nos. 8 and 9 and then birdied Nos. 11, 12 and 13.

When she tees off today, Okamoto will try to maintain her reputation of being a strong front-runner.

“Okamoto is an outstanding front-runner,” Sheehan said.

When told about Sheehan’s remark, Okamoto said: “If Patty Sheehan says so, maybe I am.”

Said Sheehan: “She’s hitting long, hitting the ball well and she’s concentrating well. She’ll be tough to catch, but it’s possible. I definitely can win this tournament. It’s whether I come out and perform the way I can.”

On Saturday, Sheehan was erratic and she said she was on “another plane.”

“It was a strange day because I concentrated weird. I seemed to not be quite there today. I was out in space somewhere.”

King, playing with Okamoto and Bradley, also had a strange round. She was two over par on the front nine, then had eagles on the par-five 11th and 13th holes and bogeyed the 12th.

“I’m starting to feel a little letdown (after winning the Dinah Shore tournament last week),” King said. “I had bad swings and bad shots on the front nine. . . . Normally you don’t play too many rounds when you don’t make a birdie. I feel pretty fortunate to make two eagles to stay in it.”