Co leaders in the second round, Shiho Oyama and Michelle Wie watched from the sidelines at the 18th fairway on Friday as Mollie Fankhauser rolled a two foot putt in to give her a lead in the third round of the LPGA Tour's Final Qualifying Tournament. After she carded a 6 under 66 at the Legends Course with the LPGA International tour, Mollie Fankhauser came out of Friday with a total of 12 under 204, putting her a stroke ahead of Shiho Oyama and two strokes ahead of both Stacy Lewis and Michelle Wie. Fankhauser was particularly happy about the event, because she was able to go out and play some of her best golf against some of the most up and coming, greatest players out there.
In the final threesome to get under way from the Legends course's first tee on Friday, Oyama who played 1 under 71 and Wie with an even 72 both battled one another for the lead throughout a large portion of the round. Lewis chased a golf groove that never seemed to appear while onlookers continued to press the group. According to Lewis, who had twelve straight pars before she finished with a 71 and a birdie, it was a little crazy out there. She said that it was difficult to get used to because as soon as you hit your tee shot you needed to run in order to get ahead of the gallery.
Wie became the first of three to fall behind, having hit a double bogey 7 on the par 5 second hole, though she is not talking to media much until after the final round of the tournament on Sunday. This native of Honolulu quickly erased her slip by hitting three consecutive one putt birdies, on the fourth hole, fifth hole and sixth hole. Wie had only made a single bogey in the first two rounds, then started her binge of birdies with a ten foot putt on the fourth hole, an approach to the inside 2 feet on the fifth hole and the a whopping 25 foot birdie on the sixth which is the putt that put her back into the lead during the tournament.
After six straight pars she was able to hook her tee shot on the thirteenth hole, making bogey when her ball ended up in a hazard. She managed to come back from that folly with a 12 foot birdie on the sixteenth hole, but on the seventeenth hole she failed to save par because of a bunker.
Oyama continued to ride her bright smile and her single stroke lead into the sixth hole which boasted a par of four, but a snap hook sent her tee shot into a water hazard. After she clawed her way to a double bogey six on that hole, she still seemed to be more than satisfied with her play on an overall basis. Regarded as the leading tour money winner for 2006 in the Japanese LPGA, Oyama seems satisfied with her play, and notes that she simply needs to remain focused to continue playing well.
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