Mallon four shots ahead of field
Updated: July 10, 2004, 11:04 PM ET
Associated Press
NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario -- Beth Daniel figures there's only one way to stop Meg Mallon's remarkable run and prevent her from winning the Canadian Women's Open.
"I'm having dinner with Meg tonight so maybe I can poison her food," Daniel said with a big laugh Saturday.
Nobody else has slowed Mallon. Not Annika Sorenstam, the LPGA's top golfer, who finished second to Mallon at last weekend's U.S. Women's Open. And not this week's field at the $1.3 million Canadian Open being held at the Legends on the Niagara Battlefield course.
Mallon shot a 7-under 65 in Saturday's third round, moving to 16-under 200 for the tournament, four strokes ahead of Daniel, the defending champion who shot a 67 in the third round.
"I had better watch what I eat," Mallon said, with a grin, when informed of Daniel's plan.
Mallon has been so good -- she's 26-under in her last five rounds of competition -- that she has put her in position to become only the third woman to follow a U.S. Women's Open victory by winning an LPGA event the next week.
Se Ri Pak did it in 1998 by winning the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic, joining Jane Geddes, who accomplished the feat in 1986. Louise Suggs also won back-to-back events in 1952, but that's when the All-America Women's Open was held six weeks after the U.S. Open.
Mallon has led since a first-round 65. If she shoots a 3-under in the final round she would break the tournament record of 18 under, set by Brandie Burton's in Windsor, Ontario, in 1998. Of her last 79 holes going back to the third round of the U.S. Open, she has played 77 of them at par or better.
Mallon was keen on maintaining her perspective.
"There is no cushion, that's the mentality I've got to have," Mallon said. "I know you can't ever take it for granted, you can't rest on last week's laurels. And I'm glad I've been able to stay focused like this week and keep playing the kind of game that I had last weekend."
While several women count both the U.S. Open and Canadian event among their victories, no one has ever won the two in same year.
Canadian Dawn Coe-Jones (69) and Lorena Ochoa (70) are six shots back in a tie for third.
"It's Meg's golf tournament right now," Daniel said. "Somebody's going to have to go real low to catch Meg tomorrow. ... She's on a run right now that every golfer dreams about."
If Daniel should beat Mallon, it would match the biggest comeback victory this season, accomplished three times, the last by Cristie Kerr at the ShopRite LPGA Classic last month.
Mallon shook off any signs of her second-round struggles, when she had two bogeys and four birdies, and led Ochoa by just one stroke on Saturday.
Mallon opened the third round with a 15-footer for birdie on No. 1, before adding three more on holes 6,7 and 8. She had a chance for a fourth on 9 when her 7-footer stopped at the edge of the cup. Mallon then birdied 13, 15 and 17.
"I was close to Meg and had a real good chance," Ochoa said. "But now it's going to be harder."
Mallon, second on the money list behind Sorenstam, has the opportunity to become the first LPGA player to win back-to-back tournaments since Candie Kung won the Wachovia LPGA Classic and State Farm Classic last August. Mallon, who won the Canadian Open in 2002 and 2000, also has a chance to match Pat Bradley, who won this event in 1980, '85 and '86.
While Ochoa faltered with an double-bogey when she went into the water on 16, Daniel continued climbing after sitting third with a two-round score of 137.
After a bogey and birdie on the front 9, Daniel had a birdie on 11 and closed with four straight birdies.
"I'm doing the best I can," Daniel said. "I feel like I have a chance tomorrow."
It's been an encouraging turnaround for Daniel, the 47-year-old Hall-of-Famer who, earlier this week, suggested she would contemplate retiring if her season-long struggles continued. In 10 events this season, Daniel's best finish has been a tie for 22nd.
Jean Bartholomew, who began the day in a tie for 26th at 2-under, shot a 65 with five birdies and an eagle, putting her in a three-way tie for fifth with Gloria Park and Aree Song at 207.
Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press
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