Karrie Webb at HSBC Women's
Chie Arimura of Japan will start the final round of the HSBC Women's Champions at Tanah Merah in Singapore with nothing more than a one-shot advantage over the vastly more experienced Karrie Webb of Australia.
Though the Japanese Tour player had the chance to move a resounding five shots clear of Webb at the 15th and 16th, she missed a two-and-a-half footer at each. "It is part of golf," came her rueful end-of-day comment. "Winning doesn't happen easily."
The five-foot three inch competitor was still three ahead of Webb with two to play but, with her confidence dented, she had a three-putt green at the 17th before failing to match a magnificent Webb birdie at the last. Her round was a 71 as against Webb's 70.
When it came to Arimura's miscued putts, Webb would have seen it all before - a slightly nervous newcomer to the LPGA's upper levels suddenly being affected by the mounting pressure. Webb carried on playing her own game and no-one was remotely surprised when she made up so much ground at the end.
Yet not too many will be prepared to give up on Arimura who, with her beautifully-rounded swing, for long hit one glorious shot down the flag after another. Just as Tiger Woods's red shirts connote power and excitement, so Arimura's pale mint outfit suggested an icy calm which in fact never wavered until the alarm bells sounded on the last few greens.
"I enjoyed my round," said the 23-year-old. "The atmosphere was tense but I still had fun."
Apart from the fact that she was playing with a winner of seven majors, Arimura said that competing among the LPGA players asked a very different set of questions to playing among the Japanese professionals. "In Japan," she explained, "we have to play fast. And if we don't play fast, we get fined." Fast, for the record, is four-and-a-half hours for a three-ball whereas American officialdom allows at least another quarter of an hour.
Webb, who already has 50 titles under her belt, acknowledged that she had been fortunate to be so well placed at the end of the day. "When Chie missed a couple of putts I must admit I was a bit surprised," she said. "She really could have separated herself from all of us. I knew that I just had to keep plugging away and stay patient."
Yet she thinks that Arimura's handful of wins in Japan - five in 2009 alone - should stand her in good stead. "She knows how to win, how to get the job done. If she plays like she did today, it's going to be a battle right down to the end."
On Sunday the top trio will consist of Webb, Arimura and Yani Tseng, with the latter having climbed to five under par and six shots off the lead over her last ten holes.
Tseng had more or less played herself out of the picture when she was no better placed than one under after eight today. As it was, she made four birdies coming home and, in her heart of hearts, still believes that she might extend her winning run from four tournaments to five.
"I will be trying my best," warned the current World No.
Karen Stupples of England suffered more than most on the back nine on Saturday.
Having made the turn in level par Stupples started the tenth with a double bogey then adding four bogeys - with just the one birdie at the 16th - to end the day on 77 and tumbling out of the fourth place held on Friday night.
