Inkster Pulls Away With a 67, Sets Record and Leads by Four

Juli Inkster continued her relentless assault on Old Waverly Golf Club Saturday with aggressive play that left her 18 holes away from winning her first U.S. Women’s Open.

Inkster shot a five-under-par 67 for a 54-hole Open record score of 15-under 201. The old record of 203 was set by Alison Nicholas two years ago at Pumpkin Ridge in Oregon, and Nicholas was only 10 under after three rounds.

Inkster leads Lorie Kane and Kelli Kuehne by four strokes, but don’t expect the 38-year-old mother of two daughters to play more conservatively today.

“I don’t think it’s the type of golf course where you can play conservative,” she said. “I think you’ve got to attack it and try to make birdies.”

On Saturday, a sweltering, 102-degree day, Inkster had birdies on the first two holes to set the tone.

“I think it’s my tournament,” she said. “All the pressure is going to be on me. That’s the toughest part. But I’m playing well, and I’m playing relaxed.”

Also, she is one of the best front-runners in women’s golf.

“She’s the kind of player who doesn’t feel bad drilling it to you,” said Dottie Pepper, in a group of four eight shots behind.

Kane, who tied an Open record with a 64 on Friday, said, “I know there’s at least another 64 out there for us. We’ll see what happens, but if I were a betting person, I’d be betting on Juli Inkster.”

Kane, a Canadian trying to win for the first time, recovered from two early bogeys for a 71 that put her at 205. She was joined there by Kuehne, the two-time U.S. Women’s Amateur champion, who made a 35-foot birdie putt on the 18th for a 70.

Sherri Turner, who had broken par only once in 44 Open rounds until this week, bogeyed two of the last three holes for a 68 and was at 206.

Unless Inkster cracks today, everyone else will be playing for second.

“The thing is to get off to a good start and put some pressure on her,” said Karrie Webb, seven strokes back after a 68 that included a lucky break at 18.

Hitting a five-iron out of the rough about 169 yards and Lake Waverly between her and the pin, she thought she had left the ball short and in the water. Instead, it barely caught the edge of a brick wall bulkhead, bounced high and over a bunker fronting the green and rolled across the green to the back fringe. She chipped to within four feet and saved par.

“I thought it was in the water pretty much the whole way,” she said. “It was a lucky break. Sometimes you get those, sometimes you don’t.”

Kane began the third round tied for the lead but made bogeys on the second and third holes. But she got a thumbs-up sign from Nancy Lopez walking down the eighth fairway and turned it on.

Kane made four birdies to get within two strokes of the lead. But Inkster hit an eight-iron from 138 yards to three feet on the 15th for her fifth birdie of the day and picked up another stroke when Kane’s four-foot par putt rimmed out on the 17th hole.

Kuehne had her first bogey of the tournament on the first hole, but birdied the par-three seventh and was solid the rest of the way. She’ll be in the final group with Inkster today.

“Instead of having to watch the leaderboard, I can watch her,” Kuehne said.

In what has been the lowest-scoring Women’s Open in its 54-year history, Inkster figures there was only one way to play. “Don’t back off,” she said.

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U.S. Women’s Open Leaders

Leaders through Saturday’s play, par 72: (Complete scores, Page 16):

Juli Inkster: 65-69-67--201 -15

Kelli Kuehne: 64-71-70--205 -11

Lorie Kane: 70-64-71--205 -11

Sherri Turner: 69-69-68--206 -10

Karrie Webb: 70-70-68--208 -8

Carin Koch: 72-69-68--209 -7

Meg Mallon: 70-70-69--209 -7

Dottie Pepper: 68-69-72--209 -7

Becky Iverson: 72-64-73--209 -7