Webb Plays Herself Into Contention

Catriona Matthew remains in the lead of the Women’s British Open. But not by much.

Karrie Webb presented one challenge by shooting another strong round. Another challenge was the rain.

The combination left Scotland’s Matthew in precarious shape entering today’s final round at Sunningdale, England.

“I still have a one-shot lead,” Matthew said. “I couldn’t ask for a better place to be.”

Matthew squandered a five-shot lead Saturday in a round hurt by a strong late-afternoon rain. She bogeyed the last hole, leaving her up by a stroke after a par round of 72. Matthew had five bogeys on the back nine.

Webb shot a 68 and was just two strokes behind after a round played in almost dry conditions.

The Australian star has won two majors this year, the U.S. Open and LPGA Championship. The Women’s British Open is the newest major in women’s golf.

“She’s a big threat now,” Matthew said of Webb. “She’s had two good rounds in the last two days. But everyone up there is capable of shooting a low score. You have got to watch out for everyone.”

Matthew was at nine-under 207. Sharing second at 208 were England’s Lora Fairclough, Scotland’s Janice Moodie and South Korea’s Mi Hyun Kim. Webb and England’s Trish Johnson were at 209.

Webb opened the championship with a sloppy 74 but followed with rounds of 67 and 68.

While admitting to being tired after taking part in a made-for-TV exhibition Monday at Palm Desert, Webb contends that if she hadn’t bogeyed the last three holes in her opening round, she would be in even better position.

“I don’t think that it was tiredness that made those bogeys, just some poor swings,” she said.

Tom Pernice Jr. withstood challenges from some of golf’s top players to maintain his lead after three rounds of The International at Castle Rock, Colo.

Pernice, who carried a two-point lead into the third round, emerged with a three-point advantage over Vijay Singh entering today’s final round. Defending champion Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia also mounted threats but were unable to unseat Pernice.

Pernice, whose victory in the 1999 Buick Open is his only PGA Tour victory in 10 full seasons, had five birdies and a bogey for nine points and a total of 33.

Singh, the 1998 winner, had a 12-point round that included seven birdies, and had 30 total points.

Jay Sigel made six birdies in a row in an eight-under-par round of 64 and held a three-stroke lead over John Jacobs after two rounds of the Long Island Classic at Jericho, N.Y.

Sigel’s birdie run was the longest on the Senior PGA Tour this year and was two off the record set by Chi Chi Rodriguez in 1987 and matched by Jim Colbert last year. Nine players made five consecutive birdies this year.

Sigel, who resumed playing in June after a seven-month layoff following surgery on both shoulders, started his birdie run at No. 2 and half of the putts were from 12 feet or longer, among them a 20-footer on the par-three fourth.

Defending champion Lee Westwood of England birdied the final hole to share the third-round lead with compatriot Ian Poulter at the Scandinavian Masters at Loddekopinge, Sweden.

Westwood finished with a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 18 for a three-under-par 69 that left him at 13-under 203 overall. Poulter shot a 68.

Louisiana State senior Meredith Duncan won the U.S. Women’s Amateur, defeating U.S. Girls’ Junior champion Nicole Perrot of Chile in 37 holes in 100-degree heat at Andover, Kan. Duncan denied Perrot a chance to become the first player to win the U.S. Girls’ Junior and U.S. Women’s Amateur in the same year.