Betsy King, who shot her way into the LPGA's Hall of Fame two years ago then almost seemed to disappear, crafted a 5-under-par 67 Saturday to tie Kelly Robbins for the Nabisco Dinah Shore lead.
King, who hasn't won since she took her 30th career title in 1995, went to 11-under through three rounds of the Dinah Shore, the women's first major championship of the year.King, the Dinah Shore champion in 1987 and 1990, drew even with Robbins with her second consecutive 5-under-par round at Mission Hills Country Club.
Robbins, the second-round leader with a one-shot edge on King, refused to wilt under the pressure, shooting a 68.
Amy Fruwirth, a fifth-year pro still looking for her first win, was two shots behind the co-leaders after shooting 68.
Kris Tschetter, who shared the first-round lead with Kathryn Marshall then ballooned to 76 on the second day, fought her way back into contention with a third-round 66 that left her three shots off the pace.
Two-time defending U.S. Open champion Annika Sorenstam remained within striking distance of the lead with a 68. She was tied at 6-under with Dottie Pepper, who had a 71.
King, 41, has played remarkably error-free golf for most of the tournament, not making a single bogey in her last 45 holes.
Robbins, on the other hand, has scrambled most of the first three days, but scored well just the same. She hit just seven fairways during the third round and finished with three bogeys, five birdies and an eagle.
Robbins briefly lost the lead when she bogeyed No. 15 and King birdied to go to 11-under. But Robbins came back with a birdie on 17 to pull even, then both missed birdie tries from about 14 feet on No. 18.
King, who met the Hall of Fame requirement of 30 victories by reaching that milestone in June 1995, came back to struggle in 1996, when her best finish was a fifth place.
She's shown some signs of bouncing back this year, including finishing third in the Hawaii tournament a month ago.