Singapore (SportsNetwork.com) - Karrie Webb salvaged a tough round with three late birdies on Saturday to remain atop the leaderboard after three rounds of the HSBC Women's Champions.
Webb posted a 2-under 70 to end 54 holes at 11-under-par 205. She will go for her 41st LPGA Tour title on Sunday.
Angela Stanford, who like Webb is a former winner of this event, carded a 3- under 69 to move into second place at minus-10. If either Webb or Stanford wins, they would become the first two-time winner of this tournament.
Azahara Munoz fired the low round of the day with her 5-under 67. That helped her jump into a share of third at 8-under-par 208. She shares third place with Teresa Lu (70).
Paula Creamer, who has finished third here three times, shot 3-under 69 and is alone in fifth place at minus-7. Morgan Pressel is one stroke back at 6-under 210 after a third-round 70.
Suzann Pettersen posted a 2-under 70 for the second straight round and is alone in seventh at 5-under 211 on the Serapong Course at Sentosa Golf Club.
Webb could not get anything going the entire front nine as she ran off nine straight pars to start her round. Despite that, she remained alone in the lead the entire time.
The Australian knocked her second shot over the green on the 10th and that led to a bogey, which dropped her into a share of the lead with Munoz. Webb parred the next three holes, and capped that run with a key 13-foot par putt at 13.
After both her playing partners stuffed their tee shots on the par-3 14th inside a foot, the 2011 champion followed suit as she dropped her tee ball within four feet.
"Their little putts made mine look long," Webb joked.
Webb knocked in her short birdie try there to give her a 1-shot lead over Munoz, Creamer and Stanford. Webb chipped in for birdie from just short of the 16th green, then drained a six footer for birdie at the last to lead by one.
"It was a pretty solid round really. I probably didn't hit it as good as I would have liked, but I felt like I had a lot of in between numbers today and I really had trouble a few times picking the right club," Webb stated. "So probably more poor decision making rather than bad swings. I only made one bogey out of all of that, and yeah, the front nine had played a little bit easier for me this week and it didn't play as easy today, but I got through it at even par and you know, I finished off strong the last five holes, which you know, really makes the round look really good."
Stanford also played the front nine in even-par, but she mixed bogeys at three and six with birdies on one and seven.
After six consecutive pars from the eighth, the 2012 winner matched Webb's closing run. Stanford birdied the 14th from inside a foot. After she birdied the 16th, Stanford got up and down for birdie on the 18th to end one back.
"I think you want to finish strong either way. And you know, I think you can look at a leaderboard at this tournament, but it's just a bunch of people," said Stanford. "You just know a lot of people are going to be at the top (of the leaderboard)."
Munoz climbed the leaderboard with two birdies and a chip-in eagle on the front nine. A birdie on the 12th gave Munoz a piece of the lead at minus-8. She gave that shot right back with a bogey on 13, but birdied the 14th to move back into a share of the lead at 8-under. Munoz ended there as she parred the final four holes.
NOTES: Webb has had the 54-hole lead 28 times in her LPGA Tour career and went on to win 19 of those events ... She has won three in a row and eight of the last 10 times in which she was the 54-hole leader on the LPGA Tour ... Stacy Lewis, the defending champion, stumbled to a 1-over 73, which dropped her into a share of 42nd at 4-over 220.
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