Golf: Micheele Wie shows maturity in salvaging 2-over 72 at U.S. Women's Open

Pinehurst, N.C. • In the midst of throwing away a four-shot lead, Michelle Wie never lost sight of the big picture at Pinehurst No. 2.

The U.S. Women's Open rarely goes according to plan, and Saturday was no exception. Wie knows that from experience long ago, and she settled down with four important pars to wind up with a 54-hole share of the lead for the third time in her career.

Wie was a teenager the other two times. Now at 24, she was one round away from capturing her first major.

"I'm just grateful for another opportunity," Wie said after salvaging a 2-over 72 to tie Amy Yang. "Tomorrow I'm going to play as hard as I can and hope for the best."

Yang, who earned a spot in the final group for the second time in three years, didn't make a par until the eighth hole in a wild round so typical of this day. Only a sloppy bogey on the final hole cost her the outright lead, though she was more than happy with a 68.

They were at 2-under 208, the only players still under par.

A pivotal moment for Wie came on the 12th hole. She reached 6 under for the tournament with back-to-back birdies at the turn. She made her first double bogey of the tournament with a tee shot she hooked into the pine trees on the 11th. Her next drive sailed well to the right and settled on a sandy path. Instead of punching under the trees and over the bunker to the green — anything long is a tough up-and-down — she pitched out to the fairway and made bogey.

"U.S. Opens are tough," she said. "I feel like maybe on a different golf course, I would have taken that chance. You just don't want to be too greedy out here. Even though you make bogey, sometimes you just don't want to make a double out here. I felt like I made the right decision there."

The USGA set the course up relative to what the men faced last Saturday in the U.S. Open when wire-to-wire winner Martin Kaymer had his only over-par round with a 72.

PGA Tour

Cromwell, Conn. • Ryan Moore had an eagle and two birdies in a bogey-free 4-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over Aaron Baddeley in the Travelers Championship.

The 31-year-old Moore had a 13-under 197 total at TPC River Highlands after opening with rounds of 63 and 68. He won the CIMB Classic in Malaysia at the start of the season in October for his third PGA Tour title.

Champions Tour

Glenview, Ill. • Tom Lehman opened a three-stroke lead in the Champions Tour's Encompass Championship, shooting a bogey-free 6-under 66 before play was suspended because of a thunderstorm.

Lehman had a 13-under 131 total at North Shore Country Club, playing the first 36 holes without a bogey. —

Saturday's scores

LPGA Women's Open

At Pinehurst No. 2

Pinehurst, N.C.

Purse • $4 million

Yardage • 6,649; Par • 70

Third-round leaders

a-amateur

Amy Yang 71-69-68 — 208 -2

Michelle Wie 68-68-72 — 208 -2

Juli Inkster 71-75-66 — 212 +2

S. Meadow 71-72-69 — 212 +2

Na Yeon Choi 71-70-71 — 212 +2

a-Minjee Lee 69-71-72 — 212 +2

P. Phatlum 71-73-69 — 213 +3

So Yeon Ryu 69-74-70 — 213 +3

Karrie Webb 70-73-70 — 213 +3

Sakura Yokomine 74-68-71 — 213 +3

Lexi Thompson 71-68-74 — 213 +3

Chella Choi 75-70-69 — 214 +4

Paula Creamer 70-72-72 — 214 +4

Stacy Lewis 67-73-74 — 214 +4

Hee Young Park 73-73-69 — 215 +5

Meena Lee 72-73-70 — 215 +5

Y. Cindy Feng 73-71-71 — 215 +5

B. Lincicome 77-70-69 — 216 +6

a-B. Henderson 71-73-72 — 216 +6

Brittany Lang 73-75-69 — 217 +7

Shanshan Feng 77-70-70 — 217 +7

Jenny Shin 74-70-73 — 217 +7

Lydia Ko 76-71-71 — 218 +8

Azahara Munoz 73-71-74 — 218 +8

Mariajo Uribe 72-70-76 — 218 +8

Ha Na Jang 76-73-70 — 219 +9

Karine Icher 76-72-71 — 219 +9

Sei Young Kim 72-75-72 — 219 +9

Beatriz Recari 73-74-72 — 219 +9

Sandra Gal 74-72-73 — 219 +9

Misuzu Narita 76-70-73 — 219 +9

Jee Young Lee 73-73-73 — 219 +9

Se Ri Pak 76-69-74 — 219 +9

Katherine Kirk 69-76-74 — 219 +9

Mina Harigae 71-74-74 — 219 +9

C. Matthew 75-69-75 — 219 +9

Inbee Park 76-71-73 — 220 +10

Caroline Masson 72-75-73 — 220 +10

Julieta Granada 75-71-74 — 220 +10

I.K. Kim 71-74-75 — 220 +10

Angela Stanford 71-72-77 — 220 +10

Jennifer Johnson 75-74-72 — 221 +11

Caroline Hedwall 73-76-72 — 221 +11

Haeji Kang 74-75-72 — 221 +11

Hee Kyung Bae 77-71-73 — 221 +11

Rikako Morita 73-75-73 — 221 +11

Belen Mozo 78-70-73 — 221 +11

Eun Hee Ji 71-75-75 — 221 +11

Pernilla Lindberg 72-77-73 — 222 +12

Lee-Anne Pace 76-73-73 — 222 +12

Ashley Knoll 75-74-73 — 222 +12

Yani Tseng 77-71-74 — 222 +12

Candie Kung 71-76-75 — 222 +12

Laura Diaz 75-72-75 — 222 +12

Danielle Kang 75-71-76 — 222 +12

PGA Travelers Championship

At TPC River Highlands

Cromwell, Conn.

Purse • $6.2 million

Yardage • 6,841; Par • 70

Third-round leaders

Ryan Moore 63-68-66 — 197 -13

Aaron Baddeley 67-66-65 — 198 -12

Sergio Garcia 65-69-65 — 199 -11

K.J. Choi 65-65-69 — 199 -11

Scott Langley 64-65-70 — 199 -11

Michael Putnam 67-63-69 — 199 -11

Kevin Streelman 69-68-64 — 201 -9

Nick Watney 70-66-65 — 201 -9

Carl Pettersson 68-67-66 — 201 -9

Tim Wilkinson 66-68-67 — 201 -9

Chad Campbell 64-70-67 — 201 -9

Bud Cauley 63-70-68 — 201 -9

Jamie Lovemark 68-63-70 — 201 -9

Sang-Moon Bae 67-68-67 — 202 -8

Chris Stroud 67-67-68 — 202 -8

Jeff Maggert 64-70-68 — 202 -8

Brendan Steele 62-69-71 — 202 -8

Eric Axley 64-67-71 — 202 -8

Harris English 66-64-72 — 202 -8

Champions Encompass Championship At North Shore Country Club

Glenview, Ill.

Purse • $1.8 million

Yardage • 7,103; Par • 72

Partial-second round leaders

(Play suspended by rain)

Tom Lehman 65-66 — 131 -13

Kirk Triplett 67-67 — 134 -10

John Inman 67-67 — 134 -10

Roger Chapman 66-68 — 134 -10

Doug Garwood 66-71 — 137 -7

Jose Coceres 68-69 — 137 -7

Peter Senior 70-68 — 138 -6

Mike Goodes 71-67 — 138 -6

Sandy Lyle 67-71 — 138 -6

Larry Mize 69-69 — 138 -6

Scott Dunlap 71-67 — 138 -6

Morris Hatalsky 72-67 — 139 -5

Bobby Clampett 70-69 — 139 -5

Loren Roberts 69-70 — 139 -5

Olin Browne 71-68 — 139 -5