Park grabs lead as Davies chases historic win

LOS ANGELES, California: South Korea’s Park In-bee fired a nine-under par 63 to seize a one-stroke lead after Saturday’s third round of the LPGA Founders Cup, where Britain’s 54-year-old Laura Davies chased a historic triumph.

Park, a seven-time major winner, opened with four birdies and an eagle in the first five holes and vaulted atop the leaderboard at 14-under 202.That was one stroke ahead of Colombia’s Mariajo Uribe with Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn third on 204 at Wildfire Golf Club in Phoenix, Arizona.

Davies shot a 63 for the first time since 2005 in jumping into a share of fourth with South Korea’s Chella Choi on 205.The Englishwoman would become the oldest champion in LPGA history by winning Monday in the first event of the season on US soil.

The sizzling start had Park pondering the all-time LPGA record low 18-hole score of 59 fired by Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam in 2001.But after the fantastic start, Park only birdied the par-4 ninth and par-5 11th until she closed her bogey-free round with a birdie at 18.

Park, who has won nine times in 15 prior attempts when leading entering the final round, matched Davies for the day’s low round.Davies, who has not won since the 2001 Rochester Invitational, would break the oldest LPGA winner mark held by Beth Daniel, who was 46 when she won the 2003 Canadian Women’s Open.

Davies, in her 32nd LPGA campaign, birdied five of the last six holes on the front nine, eagled the par-5 11th and birdied the par-5 15th and par-3 17th holes.Davies is struggling to walk with a sore left calf and Achilles tendon.“It’s a struggle,” she said. “It’s just walking. Swinging is fine. I can swing as hard as I want to. But every step is just misery.”