SALLY POISED FOR ANOTHER

LAST-DAY RUN AT LEADERS

IN FLORIDA

Scotland international Sally Watson from South Queensferry stepped up her game to return a third-round 73 in the Harder Hall Women's Invitational amateur tournament, the first event of Florida's Orange Blossom Tour, at Harder Hall Country Club, Sebring.

The 16-year-old from South Queensferry, a student at the David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Florida, had scored five-over-par 77s in her opening rounds.

Last year Sally, pictured left, came with a strong late run to finish fourth in this prestigious event and she will start the final round in joint 13th place.

Sister Rebecca, an 18-year-old student at the University of Tennessee, also survived the halfway cut in a field of 100 and added a third-round 80 to her scores of 80 and 77 over the first two days. She is sharing 27th position.

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE:

Pepperdine University freshman Taylore Karle shot a par-matching third-round 72 Saturday at the Harder Hall Invitational but saw her lead dwindle from five shots to one.

Karle is at four-under 212, one shot ahead of Arizona University senior Alison Walshe (68). Walshe, winner of last year’s North and South Amateur, chipped in twice in returning a third-round 68 for 213.

Stacy Lewis, who won this tournament in 2006, is at one-under 215 after a third-round 70. She is the only other player within five shots of the lead.

Former US Women’s Mid-Amateur champion Virginia Derby Grimes birdied four of the final six holes to shoot a 68 and move into fourth place on 218.

Mallory Blackwelder, winner of last year’s Women’s Western Amateur, had Saturday’s other 68 to move up 18 spots on the leaderboard into a tie for 10th.

Two-time US Women’s Mid-Amateur champion Meghan Bolger (71) is also bracketed for 10th place.

Karle, Blackwelder and Bolger are all trying to play their way onto the US Curtis Cup team for the match against GB&I over the Old Course, St Andrews at the end of May. Lewis, Grimes and Tiffany Joh are almost assured of selection.

The American squad of eight will be named after next week’s The Sally (South Atlantic Ladies Amateur).

The US Curtis Cup captain, Carol Thompson, is not only chairman of the Harder Hall Invitational tournament, she is also playing in it.

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