Spain's Beatriz Recari held on to her lead at the Kia Classic on Saturday, albeit thanks to a poor finish from Karrie Webb.
Webb seemed to have seized the initiative at Aviara Golf Club during Saturday's third round when she went on a run of five birdies in an eight-hole stretch, but three late bogeys saw her sign for a 70 and surrender the lead back to overnight leader Recari, who stayed solid with a 69 to take her total to 11 under par.
Webb lamented her poor finish, but she is still alone in second place on nine under, just two shots back, and still has 18 holes left on Sunday to force the issue.
"I played really well, just a couple of bad swings on 17," she said. "And then the anti-right swing off the tee on 18. So just not a great, great finish. But obviously only two shots behind and I feel good with how I'm playing and
I've just got to do that again tomorrow."
Recari's round, meanwhile, was quiet before an eagle on the par-four 16th boosted her score. It came courtesy of a booming drive that saw her find the green on the 285-yard hole in one and set up a four-footer to pick up two shots.
"Well, we were waiting on the tee and I hit that tee shot in the practice round, actually in the pro-am, and you just had to kind of play it safe," Recari said. "And if you get a good bounce, you knew that it was going to bounce left.
"If you got a good bounce on the green, great, even though just to make sure that I'm on the right side and I have enough green to work with. But I hit a very good tee shot and I had a good bounce as well so I had like a (4-footer) for eagle and I made it."
Recari has yet to card a bogey this week.
"I don't think I have every played bogey-free after three rounds," she said. "I mean, I've minimized mistakes, I've had a few bogeys, I've had one or two bogeys, but bogey-free, I think that's a new record for me."
Paula Creamer (71) and I.K. Kim (70) are three shots back, while new world number one Stacy Lewis is four shots back on seven under after a third-round 69 that included an eagle on the par-five eighth.
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