Ayako Okamoto has been an average putter this year, but not in the traditional sense of the word.
"Total, it's average because it's either real good or real bad," Okamoto said Saturday after experiencing one of those afternoons that brings the average down several notches.One day after she could do no wrong on the greens, Okamoto had all sorts of trouble with her putting stroke. Missing at least a half-dozen putts of 10 feet or less, Okamoto shot a 2-over-par 73 to fall into a three-way tie at 6-under 207 with Pat Bradley and Meg Mallon after three rounds of the LPGA Championship.
Okamoto missed several easy birdie putts in parring each of the first 16 holes. While her steady pace allowed her to maintain the two-shot lead she started the day with, it didn't enable her to put some space between her and the field.
Then, on No. 17, she missed a 4-foot par putt. She followed that by three-putting on 18 - botching a 5-footer for par in the process - to lose the lead she established on Friday, when a sizzling putter helped her tie a course record with a 64 on the 6,246-yard Bethesda Country Club layout.
"I knew the bogeys were going to come in this round somewhere, but I also hoped there would be some birdies along the way," she said. "I had some birdie putts, but none went in."
Barb Bunkowsky fired a 70 to move within one shot of the leaders and defending champion Beth Daniel and Deb Richard were at 209. Amy Alcott shot a 71 and was three strokes back.
Betsy King had four birdies on the back nine for a 67 that put her in a group of four at 211.
Okamoto's round was virtually the opposite of the one she played on Friday, when she made every makeable putt after experiencing trouble with her drives. On Saturday, her driver was hot and her putting was not.
"The difference? I wish I knew," she said. "If I did, I could play under par every time."
Bradley birdied Nos. 2 and 4 to forge a tie atop the leaderboard with Okamoto, but she dropped back on the next hole after she put a ball in the trees and took a bogey. Bradley remained one shot back until she reached No. 9, a 365-yard par-4.
She put her drive under a tree and hit out onto the fairway. Her approach hit the front fringe, and from there she blasted her putt 10 feet past the hole. Two more putts left her with a double bogey and a three-shot deficit at the turn.
Bradley parred No. 10, but a bogey on 11 dropped her four shots back and in danger of dropping out of contention. But an eagle on 12, in which she hit a 4-wood within six feet of the pin, brought her back within two strokes. She then parred the final six holes.
"Sometimes you have days like today," Bradley said. "It just shows, even scrambling, you can stay in the hunt. That eagle on No. 12 gave me a little spurt of energy."
At Memphis, Tenn., Fred Couples shot a 5-under-par 66 Saturday to pass the leaders and take a 1-stroke advantage over Peter Persons and Hal Sutton after three rounds of the $1 million St. Jude Classic.
Couples began the day four strokes behind second-round co-leaders Fuzzy Zoeller and Russ Cochran before posting six birdies against one bogey over the 7,006-yard, par-71 Tournament Players Club at Southwind.
Couples' tournament total of 12-under 201 establishes a new Southwind mark for 54 holes, surpassing the 202 set last year by Tom Kite and John Cook.
Two strokes back is Mark Brooks, who is at 10-under 203 in the chase for the $180,000 winner's check.
Mike Hulbert, the winner of last week's Anheuser-Busch Classic, and Zoeller are at 9-under 204.
At Kansas City, Mo., Al Geiberger dropped a 90-foot birdie put en route to a 5-under-par 65 and moved into a tie with Jim Colbert at 133 after two rounds of the Southwestern Bell Classic seniors golf tournament.
"That might have been my longest putt ever," said Geiberger, who is looking for his first Seniors victory in almost two years.
Larry Laoretti, Chi Chi Rodriguez and Don January were at 4-under and three shots off the lead heading into Sunday's final round of the $450,000 tournament. Rocky Thompson, who shot a 3-under-par 67 Saturday, was tied with George Archer at 137.