Will Webb make it Masters title No 7?

BY Liz White | ALPG Tour | 2010 ANZ Ladies Masters | Round Three | 06 Mar 2010

The ANZ Ladies Masters is Karrie Webb’s turf and today she showed she is not ready to hand it over to defending champion and heir apparent, Katherine Hull, just yet.

The six-time champion played near flawless golf, carding nine birdies and one solitary bogey to return a score of 8 under 64. It was enough to give her the outright lead on 15 under, one shot ahead of fellow Queenslander, Hull and Korea’s Bo-Mee Lee.

Webb played solid golf all day and feels very comfortable on what she considers her home course, Royal Pines. After tinkering with her swing late in yesterday’s round, Webb said she finally felt confident.

“My last hole yesterday, I put the two best swings of the day on it and it was just to shorten my swing up just fractionally,” she said.

“I didn’t know if that was a quick fix for one hole or whether it was going to work.

“I hit balls on the range this morning and it felt good and it worked really well out there. I really felt like I could play the shots that I was seeing and wanted to hit.”

Webb’s brilliant round has set up a fascinating duel between the six -time winner and the defending champion. The pair has never played together in the final grouping and Hull said she is not intimidated.

“It is just golf, it is not brain surgery or rocket science, so I will just go play,” she said.

“I don’t think I need to compare myself, we are two different players and I am just going to be focussing on my game and I hope we both play well.”

Hull said an improved mental approach was the reason behind her 7 under 65 today.

“Attitude was a lot better today so I was able to execute a lot better and my score, I guess, told the story.”

After a round table discussion with her coach, Steve McRae and caddy, Vern Tess last night, Hull said she was able to right the ship today.

“I am a perfectionist but yesterday I just got a little carried away, a little too intense after shots,” she said.

“The goal was to make it easier on myself and easier on Vern because he was just mentally spent yesterday, the poor guy, " she said with a wry grin.

While it will be a fascinating Webb/ Hull battle tomorrow, wedged in between the pair is the Royal Pines new course record holder, Bo-Mee Lee.

The 22-year-old started the day at 5 under but after birdying the 18th walked off with a 9 under 63, a course record, and a tie for second with Hull on 14 under. Last year Kristie Smith set a course record 10 under 62 but because some of the tee boxes were moved to a new location this year, today’s round by Lee is regarded as the new course record.

The Korean LPGA player said her goal for the week was to finish 10 under par on a course she has only played once. But after incredibly remaining bogey free for the entire tournament, Lee said she is now reassessing that goal.

“Today I had the feel of the shots, tomorrow I might be able to do 20 under,” she said through her interpreter.

“The first two rounds for me wasn’t that good, my shots weren’t that good but I had a tip from the coach and it worked really well.”

Lee’s coach talked to her on the phone last night and advised his charge to change her ball position to stop her from hooking the ball.

The chat worked and now the new course record holder will tee it up in the final group.

It is the fifth time the Korean has teed off last on the final day and she has one win from that experience, the Nefs Masterpiece, which she captured in August last year. Tomorrow she will realise a dream.

“I want to see how Karrie Webb plays tomorrow. I have always wanted to play with her,” she said.

While all eyes will be on the final group, there are seven players within four shots of the lead.

One of them is world No 6 Yani Tseng who is in T6th with overnight leader, American Amanda Blumenherst on 11 under. She cannot be discounted said Webb.

“There’s players that have played well here and won around the world, " she said.

“I think it’s still anyone’s game. The course is set up in such a way that someone three or four shots back, could shoot a 63 or 64 tomorrow and sneak up and win.”

Still, Webb added, she would rather be chased than be the chaser.

“I’m just glad that I’m not three, four, five shots back going into tomorrow and having to really shoot a low one to have a chance.”