GOLF ROUNDUP : King Stays in Control at LPGA Championship

Betsy King is running away with the LPGA Championship, while the rest of the field is merely running in place.

“Betsy’s trying to lap us,” JoAnne Carner said Saturday after King shot a 67 to stretch her lead to five strokes after three rounds of the $1-million tournament at Bethesda, Md.

King had four birdies in a bogey-free round that left her at 12-under-par 201. Helen Alfredsson had a 68 for a 206 total, and Carner and Juli Inkster were at 207.

“If it were someone else, then maybe I’d have a chance, but she’s a great player,” Alfredsson said. “Obviously, I’m not expecting to win. Five shots is an awful lot.”

King, vying for a wire-to-wire victory, was nearly flawless in expanding the three-shot lead she took into the third round. After making birdies on Nos. 7 and 8, she hit her tee shot on the par-four ninth hole into the right rough. Her approach then went into the right bunker, 40 feet from the hole.

Undaunted, King blasted out with a sand wedge, leaving the ball five inches from the hole to salvage par.

After three more pars, King went 11 under by sinking a 10-foot birdie putt on the 501-yard 13th hole. She missed another birdie by two inches on No. 14, but put another stroke between herself and her pursuers with an eight-foot birdie putt on No. 15.

She finished with three pars, leaving herself in excellent position to win her 26th tournament title, fifth major and first LPGA Championship.

“Realistically, I think if I shot even par tomorrow I’d win the tournament,” she said. “I’d be surprised if that wasn’t enough. Helen would have to shoot five-under to tie. But you can’t think that way. You have to go out and try to make some birdies.”

Raymond Floyd advanced to a share of the lead of the weather-plagued Byron Nelson Classic before another storm caused an overnight postponement. The tournament at Irving, Tex., might have to be reduced to 54 holes.

“We’re still hopeful of playing 72 holes,” said Duke Butler, the PGA Tour official in charge of the event.

When third-round play was held up, it marked the third consecutive time that a round wasn’t completed on the day it started.

The tournament was thrown into disarray when a severe thunderstorm wiped out most of Thursday’s opening round.

The schedule calls for the third round to be completed this morning, followed by the final round.

With second-round play extending into Saturday afternoon, none of the third-round starters completed more than 11 holes.

Floyd was in a five-way tie for the lead at nine under par with Dudley Hart, John Adams, Bruce Lietzke and Jay Haas, the second-round leader.

Heavy thunderstorms put another Texas tournament in disarray. The second round of the PGA Senior Tour Doug Sanders Kingwood Celebrity Classic was canceled, officials trimming the 54-hole event to 36. Larry Mowry, Harold Henning and Gibby Gilbert lead by one shot.