LPGA Hall of Famer Patty Sheehan, with a Nabisco Dinah Shore championship conspicuously absent from her list of 34 career victories, fired a 5-under-par 67 Saturday to tie Brandie Burton for the tournament lead.
Burton, who hasn't won a title in three years, shot a 68 at Mission Hills to continue her comeback from an opening 75. She had a 67 the second day.Sheehan and Burton were at 6-under 210 after three rounds at Mission Hills Country Club in the LPGA's first major of 1996.
Both Sheehan and Burton have come close in the Dinah Shore, considered the women's equivalent of the PGA's Masters. Sheehan finished second to Betsy King in 1987 at Mission Hills, and Burton was third in the Dinah Shore won by Dottie Mochrie four years ago.
Sheehan, a consistent winner on the tour for the past 15 years, began the third round five shots behind leader Tracy Hanson. After making the turn Saturday with a 36 that left her at 1-under for the tournament, Sheehan birdied five of the first six holes on the back nine.
Deadly with her irons, her approach shots left her with short putts for birdies on the 10th, 12th, 14th and 16th holes, and she rolled in a 25-footer for a birdie on No. 11.
Burton played a more scrambling round, making birdie putts of 40 feet on No. 15 and 25 feet on No. 17 to pull even with Sheehan.
Martha Nause, with a 70, was one shot behind the co-leaders.
Annika Sorenstam, the 1995 LPGA player of the year, went into her final hole of the day at 6-under and with a chance to take the lead alone. But Sorenstam hit a wedge into the water in front of the 18th green and took a double-bogey 7 to fall two shots behind.
Sorenstam, from Sweden, shot a 73 to join a group of six players at 4-under. That group also included Karrie Webb, the rookie from Australia who's won twice this year and leads in earnings; Laura Davies of England, coming off a win at Phoenix; second-round leader Hanson; Meg Mallon and Amy Fruhwirth.
Fruhwirth had a 68, Webb and Davies had 70s, Mallon a 71 and Hanson a 74.
Two past Dinah Shore champions, Sally Little (1982) and Juli Inkster (1984 and 1989), also stayed within striking distance of the leaders. Little shot a 71 to go to 3-under, and Inkster was still 2-under despite a third-round 74.