Lexi Thompson plays well, but 7 shots back

Lexi Thompson hits from the sand on the 12th hole... — Lexi Thompson hits from the sand on the 12th hole during the third round of the U.S. Women's Open. (July 7, 2012) Credit: AP

By MARK HERRMANNmark.herrmann@newsday.comJuly 7, 2012

KOHLER, Wis. -- Lexi Thompson was one of the best golfers at the U.S. Women's Open Saturday, in the non-Na Yeon Choi division. Thompson, the 17-year-old from Florida, shot par 72, which is almost always a good score in an Open and seemed just fine to her Saturday.

"I'm very happy with it. It was a little windier today and there were some harder pin placements. I had one bad hole, but I'll take it for sure," said Thompson, who is tied for third at 1 under, seven shots back, heading into the final round Sunday.

The complication is that Choi shot an almost unthinkable 65 and is 8 under. So unless something truly extraordinary happens Sunday, the U.S. Open again -- for the seventh time in nine years -- will not have a U.S.-born winner.

"I'm not going to just try to go after her. I'm going to play my own game and the golf course," Thompson said. "That's all I can do: focus on my game and nobody else's."

Michelle Wie will have to do the same, and hope for better results. A day after her own somewhat unthinkable 66, one that inspired her to say, "I still have it," Wie didn't have it Saturday. She shot 6-over par 78 and finished tied for 15th at 2 over.

"It was tough out there. It was pretty crazy, that 65 today. Good for her. But tomorrow, we'll see what happens," Wie said. "I hit a couple of loose shots and I felt like [some of] my putts should have gone in that didn't go. Hopefully, I'll get them back tomorrow."

Cristie Kerr, the 2007 U.S. Women's Open champion, had been right in the thick of it. She was one out of the lead to start the day. She shot 77 and is tied for seventh, nine strokes back. "I had a lot of long putts that I misjudged the slope on. I made a dumb mistake on 14," she said of a ball that found the water. "It was just kind of a dumb round for me today. Na Yeon beat the field by 12 shots today and that's pretty remarkable."

Paula Creamer, the most recent American Open winner (2010), had a solid 70 Saturday, but she also is nine shots out of first. "I'm a chaser. I love chasing," she said. "This golf course suits top players, and people who can make big putts at big moments are going to be at the top."

It looks unlikely that the person will be from the home team.