US FUTURES REPORT AND SCORES

Rookie Jennifer Song Takes One-Shot Lead

 Into Decatur's Final Round

DECATUR, Illinois:  Go figure. Put a former UCLA Bruin and USC Trojan in the same group and there's bound to be fireworks.
Only, in the third round of the $125,000 Tate and Lyle Players Championship on the US Duramed Futures Tour, they were good-natured sparks of fine shot-making with a dash of college football smack talk that propelled first-week rookie Jennifer Song into a one-shot lead heading into Sunday's final round.
Song, who left Southern California this spring after two years and turned pro five days ago, carded a 5-under-par score of 65 today to take the lead at 10-under 200. On her heels is two-time Tour winner Mo Martin, a former Bruin, who matched Song's 65 to cruise into second place at 9-under 201 at Hickory Point Golf Club.
"It was really fun out there and I think Mo and I were inspired by each other," said Song, 20, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, who played her last amateur tournament last week as a member of the U.S. Curtis Cup team.
Song carded two birdies in her first three holes and had four other birdie chances within 15 feet that didn't drop on the front nine.
"I was patient, but very frustrated," said Song, winner of the 2009 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship and 2009 U.S. Women's Public Links. "I was hitting great shots, but just not finishing up the hole."
En route to her bogey-free round, however, Song birdied the 14th hole from four feet and the 15th from eight feet.
Meanwhile, Martin, playing in the same pairing with Song, started her day with a bogey on the first hole and knew she needed to get moving. She staked her approach shot to 3 feet for birdie on No. 5, drained a 10 footer for birdie on No. 7, just missed a four-foot birdie chance on No. 8 and knew she had a good game going with Song as the two pushed each other around the golf course.
"We were feeding off each other," said Martin, of Altadena, California, a fifth-year pro who was on UCLA's 2004 NCAA Women's Golf Championship team. "It was really good golf out there."
The veteran pro went on to birdie four more holes on the back nine, with nothing longer than eight feet. She nearly holed out with a 7-iron on the 147-yard, par-3 17th, stopping two inches short of an ace to set up a tap-in birdie. Martin hit every fairway, 14 greens in regulation and needed only 27 putts.
But it was Song who got the last word, or at least, made the last putt on the 18th hole. The rookie hit her pitching wedge 120 yards to three feet to set up her final birdie for a one-stroke lead.
"I stuck it," said Song. "I was like 'Yeah!'"
Veteran pro Pornanong Phatlum, who has won 14 times in Asia, was playing right behind Song and Martin. She knew what she needed to do. But like so many other players in the field, she struggled all day with the flat stick. Phatlum hit 16 greens in regulation and recorded a disappointing 32 putts.
"I played well, but today with my putting, not a lot of birdies fell," said Phatlum of Chaiyaphum, Thailand, who carded a 2-under third-round score of 68 to move into third place at 8-under 202. "I looked at the leaderboard and I knew where the leaders were, but the putts would not go in."
Rookie Dori Carter of Valdosta, Ga., carded a 3-under score of 67 to jump from a tie for 12th into a tie for fourth at 7-under 203 with Tzu-Chi Lin (68) of Taichung, Taiwan, Jenny Suh (68) of Fairfax, Va., Esther Choe (69) of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Jenny Shin (69) of Torrance, Calif.
But while they were working hard on the course and seemingly have a go at their own little match-play round, Song and Martin managed to have some fun along the way.
"We were walking up No. 9 and she said something about how the USC football team is in a little bit of trouble [with NCAA violations]," said Song, with a laugh. "I think she was trying to get inside my head."
"Yeah, she told me about how the Bruin on the UCLA campus was once spray-painted cardinal red and gold [USC's colors]," added Martin. "Did she do it? Hmmm, you never know. It's the quiet ones ..."
A total of 43 players posted rounds of even-par 210 or better after two rounds, with 37 players finishing the day under par on the 6,219-yard floodwater-adjusted course. Normally played as a par-72 course, Hickory Point is playing at par 70 this week after heavy rains and flash flooding earlier in the week caused officials to shorten the par-5 sixth hole into a par 3.
Weather: Sunny and clear with temperatures in the low 90s, with a slight breeze.