Sound Familiar? Webb Pulling Away in Open

The comparisons to Tiger Woods make Karrie Webb a little uncomfortable.

Keep playing like this, though, and the comparisons are going to go on and on and on.

Webb birdied four of her first seven holes and shot a four-under-par 68 Saturday, giving the Australian star a seven-under total of 209 and a four-stroke lead in the U.S. Women’s Open at Gurnee, Ill.

With Meg Mallon the only player within seven strokes of her, Webb is one more strong round away from winning her third major championship and qualifying for the Hall of Fame.

“We were playing one hole to every four holes for her, it seemed,” said Mallon, the leader after the first two rounds. “It seemed like she was getting further and further under par and I wasn’t even playing a hole yet.”

Mallon gave chase with birdies on the 15th and 16th holes to get within two strokes of Webb. But she fell off with a double bogey on 17 and finished with a one-over 73 for 213.

Betsy King, who started the day tied with Webb at three under, fell out of contention with a 10-over 82 after hurting her back.

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Defending champion Brad Faxon shot a four-under 68 to tie Esteban Toledo for the third-round lead in the B.C. Open at Endicott, N.Y.

Faxon, trying to become the first player to win the tournament twice in a row, sank a curving 15-foot putt for birdie on No. 18 to finish at 202, 14 under par. Toledo, who began the day with a three-shot lead, made a great save for par on the final hole to finish with a 71.

Jerry Kelly was alone in third, two shots off the lead after a 67.

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Bob Murphy matched the course record with a seven-under 65 for a share of the second-round lead in the Senior PGA Tour’s Instinet Classic at Princeton, N.J.

Murphy had an 11-under 133 on the TPC at Jasna Polana to match Gil Morgan and defending champion Tom Jenkins. Morgan shot a 66, and Jenkins had a 68.