Australian Women's Open in Melbourne

KENT-BORN LINDSEY LEADS AS

LYNN KENNY (69) TIES FOR

BEST SCORE OF THIRD ROUND

FROM THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE

By BETHAN CUTLER

Kent-born Lindsey Wright from Australia takes a one-shot lead into Sunday's final round of the MFS Women’s Australian Open at Kingston Heath Golf Club in Melbourne.

The 28-year-old from Albury in New South Wales finished on a total of three-under-par 216 after three straight rounds of one-under-par 72.

Wright is the No 2 ranked Australian player at No 61 in the world and is aiming for her fifth career victory, although she has never won on the LPGA Tour where she plies her trade, finishing 38th on the money list last season.

Defending champion Karrie Webb, the World No 3, is still in contention for her fourth national title. She finished the day in a share of second position with Korean Ji-Yai-Shin, the World No 7.

Webb overcame a triple bogey 7 at the fourth hole to salvage a level par 73 and finish the day on two-under-par alongside Shin, who also carded a 73.

The overnight leader, amateur Kristie Smith from Western Australia, began the day at five-under-par and had a four-over 77. She tied for fourth position on one-under-par with England’s Melissa Reid, a rookie on the Ladies European Tour.

Reid, 20, from Chevin, scored a third round of four-under-par 69, which tied for the best score of the day with Japan’s Yuki Sakurai and Scotland’s Lynn Kenny.

Reid received an invitation to play in this week’s event courtesy of Golf Australia, and said she was enjoying every minute of it. “I had never been to Australia. It is my first time here and I’m loving it. It is a lot better than the English weather at present,” said Reid, who was the leading amateur at last year’s Ricoh Women’s British Open, where she finished 16th.

“I love this kind of course. I love the heathland style. It is like Sunningdale. I love it. I think it is in stunning condition and great to play.”

Players struggled with the tough course and conditions on Melbourne’s famous sandbelt course, but Wright was surprised that the scoring wasn’t lower. “Towards the end it was windy but I thought yesterday was windier,” said Wright, whose best finish last year was fourth at the McDonalds LPGA Championship. She said that the experience of contending in a major championship, and beating Annika Sorenstam at the World Match-play, had helped her to relax.

“I felt like it was no big deal. I’m just really enjoying it,” she said. “I’m looking forward to playing with either Karrie or Shin in the final round.”

*Lindsey Wright emigrated to Australia with her family from Tunbridge, Kent when she was a child. She came to the fore on the American women's college circuit as a student at Pepperdine University, California. She has a brother who lives in the south of England.

SCOTTISH ANGLE FROM COLIN FARQUHARSON

The way Lynn Kenny is improving her scores every day - 80 followed by a 74 and then a third-round 69 (equalling the best of the day) - suggests she is going to have a phenomenal score on Sunday!

The Archerfield Links player has broken into the top 20, joint 19th to be precise, on four-over-par 223. Remember it is a par-73 lay-out of some 6,650yd in length.

Lynn dropped a shot at the second but did not have another bogey until the 16th in halves of 34 (three under par) and 35 (one under).

She had an eagle 3 at the 525yd third and birdies at the long fifth, nine, long 10th and 12th.

Miss Kenny's round of 69 was 10 shots fewer than pre-tournament favourite Laura Davies took on the day. Laura's earlier rounds were 74 and 75.

Clare Queen has scored 75, 78 and 76 to be joint 60th on 10-over-par 229. Clare never really recovered from bogeys at the third, fifth and sixth. She did birdie the long eighth to be out in two-over 39. But another bogey went on her card at the 12th.

She birdied the 13th but gave the shot back at the 17th in counting 37 home.

THIRD-ROUND TOTALS

Par 219 (3 x 73)

216 Lindsey Wright (Aus) 72 72 72
217 Karrie Webb (Aus) 72 72 73, Ji-Yai Shin (Kor) 72 71 74
218 Melissa Reid (Eng) 73 76 69, Kristie Smith (Aus) 72 69 77
220 Amy Yang (Kor) 75 73 72
221 Rui Yokomine (Jpn) 78 72 71, Katherine Hull (Aus) 71 75 75, Kirsty S Taylor (Eng) 77 68 76
222 Yuki Sakurai (Jpn) 80 73 69, Rebecca Flood (Aus) 75 77 70, Na Yeon Choi (Kor) 78 73 71, Hee-Kyung Seo (Kor) 78 72 72, Frances Bondad (Aus) 72 77 73, Gwladys Nocera (Fra) 78 71 73, Birdie Kim (Kor) 75 72 75, Carri Wood (USA) 75 70 77, Hee Young Park (Kor) 71 73 78
223 Lynn Kenny (Sco) 80 74 69, Joanne Mills (Aus) 74 79 70, Stephanie Arricau (Fra) 76 75 72, Mi-Jung Hur (Kor) 75 75 73, Ha-Neul Kim (Kor) 76 74 73, Ayako Uehara (Jpn) 77 73 73, Bobea Park (Kor) 80 69 74, Ashleigh Simon (Rsa) 75 73 75, Sarah Nicholson (Nzl) 71 75 77
224 Virginie Lagoutte-Clement (Fra) 74 78 72
225 Samantha Head (Eng) 83 71 71, Felicity Johnson (Eng) 74 79 72, Tamie Durdin (Aus) 78 75 72, Lisa Hall (Eng) 78 74 73, Rebecca Stevenson (Aus) 77 75 73, Martina Eberl (Ger) 79 72 74, Karin Sjodin (Swe) 74 76 75, Marianne Skarpnord (Nor) 75 74 76, Clare Choi (Aus) 74 75 76, Tiffany Joh (USA) 74 75 76, Minea Blomqvist (Fin) 73 75 77
226 Emma Cabrera-Bello (Spa) 75 79 72, Anna Tybring (Swe) 79 75 72, Paula Marti (Spa) 78 75 73, Ursula Wikstrom (Fin) 70 82 74, Ji-Yae Yeo (Kor) 77 73 76, Sarah Oh (Aus) 73 76 77, Emma Bennett (Aus) 74 74 78
227 Ji-Na Lim (Kor) 79 74 74, Lotta Wahlin (Swe) 74 79 74, Amanda Moltke-Leth (Den) 75 77 75, Sophie Walker (Eng) 77 72 78, Michelle Ellis (Aus) 72 76 79
228 Sakura Yokomine (Jpn) 77 77 74, Rosemary MacDonald (Aus) 77 77 74, Nikki Garrett (Aus) 76 78 74, Helen Oh (Aus) 74 78 76, Danielle Masters (Eng) 75 76 77, Cherie Byrnes (Aus) 75 75 78, Laura Davies (Eng) 74 75 79, Jill McGill (USA) 75 73 80
229 Cecilia Ekelundh (Swe) 83 71 75, Anne Norman Hansen (Den) 80 73 76, Clare Queen (Sco) 75 78 76, Tamara Beckett (Aus) 77 75 77, Vicky Thomas (Aus) 77 75 77
230 Cecilia Nha (Aus) 80 72 78, Marta Prieto (Spa) 79 72 79, Alison Whitaker (Aus) 73 74 83
231 Kate Combes (Aus) 77 73 81
232 Karen Lunn (Aus) 80 74 78, Laurette Maritz (Rsa) 75 77 80
233 Kiran Matharu (Eng) 80 74 79
237 Linda Wessberg (Swe) 74 78 85