Saturday might have been the day Se Ri lost the tournament, although it started out as the kind of moving day Se Ri plays when she wins events. She played the front nine flawlessly, notching three birdies and making no significant mistakes. This put her at 9 under and in a tie for the lead. More interestingly, it kept up the streak of '3' coincidences that had been happening to that point. She had been 3 under in her first round 69 (6 and 9 are multiples of 3), then 3 under with a second 69 to go to 6 under. Now she was 3 under on her front nine, and looking probably to get three more on the back. And of course, had she won, it would have been her third win of the year. The number three loomed large as perhaps a good omen (provided, of course, it didn't mean she was going to finish third!).

On the back nine she continued her brilliant play with two more birdies at the par 5 11th and the 13th. At this point she was alone in the lead, well ahead of her vaunted competitors. And she still had yet to make a mistake. Indeed, the putt on 13 to move to 11 under had been an impressive one, an 8 footer with a bit of break she stroked flawlessly. But on the next hole and continuing through to the end of the round, Se Ri suddenly began to struggle mightily. Just when it looked like she was in position to put the tournament away (or at least stake herself a nice two to three shot lead for the final day), suddenly everything changed.

Se Ri deals with Lytham's rough in rd 3
AP Photo/Alistair Grant

Se Ri hits a shot with the clubhouse in
the background
AP Photo/Alistair Grant

It's possible the wind became more of a factor, or maybe she just began to struggle. But regardless, things went south in a hurry. Off the 14th tee, her drive ended up well right in a truly nasty lie. She had no choice but to pitch out. Her par save ended up being about 15 feet, and she left it two rolls short (but was perfectly on line). This moved her back to 10 under and a tie for the lead. On the par 5 15th, a very birdieable hole, she made a strategy error off the tee. If she had hit driver she would have easily cleared a bunker on the left side. Instead, she went with a fairway wood, hoping to get more control, and instead hit it left into the bunker. She pitched out, then hit a lackluster third shot to the left rough (and almost into another bunker). From there she hit a wonderful pitch for an easy par save, but on a short hole like this, it is imperative to get birdie, especially in great conditions like on Saturday. Hole 16 she played very well, and got a birdie to move back into the lead. But on 17, she did not get the bounces, and an excellent approach somehow ended up rolling off the back of the green. From there she hit a pretty weak chip and did not get it up and down. This was perhaps her worst hole of the day.

Then of course, there was the 18th hole, a hole she may long remember in her nightmares. The trick here is avoiding the nasty pot bunkers. Put your shot in one of those and you must hit a penal pitch out; no way to go for the green. Well, Se Ri put her drive in the left bunker, just as Grace had when she was 8 under on Friday and looked ready to shoot 64. She pitched out, then hit a great approach that stopped 8 feet from the flag. She had a pretty good chance to save par, but could not manage it. Had she played any one of these holes just a little better, she might have been holding the trophy on Sunday. As it was, she had a third straight 69 to move to 9 under (again with the threes, sixes and nines), one shot out of the lead. She would be playing in the penultimate group on Sunday, opposite Annika Sorenstam. Although Wendy Ward and Patricia Meunier-Lebouc would be the final group, no doubt that most focus would fall on the Pak/Sorenstam pairing, the place from which the champion would most likely emerge.

Se Ri chips in round 3
AFP/Paul Barker

Like a gunfighter heading to her showdown, Se Ri was ready to fight for the prize
(you may whistle the 'Good, the Bad and the Ugly' theme if you wish)
AP Photo/Alistair Grant

A few years ago, they had a tournament in Australia where they created a poster showing Karrie Webb and Annika Sorenstam wearing boxing gloves, and touting that matchup as the equivalent of a heavyweight prize fight. Well, that was no Major. Here you have the undisputed number one and number two players, in the final round of a Major, both well within reach of the prize, going toe to toe. No quarter given, none expected. This was the real heavyweight title match.

In these two players, you have a real compelling contrast in styles. In Sorenstam, the ultimate in consistency. It was pretty much a given that she would hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens, and not make too many mistakes. But it was also pretty certain she was not going to shoot the lights out. To beat Sorenstam required aggressiveness, courage, and an unwillingness to be intimidated by the competition or the situation. And that is the personification of Se Ri Pak. She rarely hits a ton of fairways and greens in her victories. She is not as consistent as Sorenstam. But she is more explosive. She will make mistakes, but she will find a way to rectify them. And she will never never give up. The only question was, could Se Ri drive a stake in Sorenstam's heart early by taking a lead and putting pressure on her to do more than just make par after par? Or would she go down fighting?