WILLIAMSBURG -- For the third time in as many days, the world's No.1and 2-ranked female golfers toured the Kingsmill Resort's River Course in each other's company. But this time, one of them blinked.

Annika Sorenstam fired a 2-under par 69 and transformed disaster into something akin to delight on the final hole yesterday to maintain control of the $2.2 million Michelob Ultra Open. Sorenstam, rapidly approaching the level of proficiency that made her the sport's pre-eminent performer for the first half of this decade, climbed to 14 under heading into today's final round. She leads Jeong Jang by three strokes and Christina Kim by four.

Conspicuously absent from the discussion is Lorena Ochoa, the world's top-ranked player. Ochoa bumped Sorenstam from the top spot two years ago and has beaten her archrival four times this year. But the young Mexican wilted on the back nine yesterday. She staggered home with a 3-over 74 and trails by eight strokes entering today's competition.

"What can I say? It was just a bad day for me," said Ochoa, who at one point on a raw, misty afternoon made bogey on four of five holes. "It was just one thing after another. I got frustrated. It wasn't easy at all. All I can say is, I'm going to come back [today] and try to enjoy myself and try to make a lot of birdies."

A lot of birdies may not be enough. Sorenstam, playing with a consistency born of soaring confidence, has made only one bogey in the tournament thus far. That gaffe occurred on yesterday's 18th hole. Sorenstam, cruising with a four-shot lead, hooked her drive into the lake that protects the left side of the 18th fairway. Her second tee shot led to the most significant shot of the tournament thus far: an approach shot from 162 yards.

Had she missed, even slightly, she might have made double bogey or worse. She didn't miss. She drilled a thunderbolt of a 6-iron to 8 feet and made the putt for a bogey.

"That was the worst tee shot I've hit all week, maybe all year," Sorenstam said. "But I wasn't going to let it bother me. I thought, 'Let's just get close.' I thought, 'I've had a great day and made a lot of great saves. If I can make 5 here, the damage won't be too bad.' Having a positive attitude helped me, I think. It's really easy to walk away from the tee box grumpy and edgy [after so gruesome a swing]. But I actually felt very cool and calm."

Sorenstam, more tenacious than brilliant, said she "saved everything" during a two-birdie, one-bogey round that was more than good enough to keep Jang (69 yesterday) and Kim (66) at arm's length. Pivotal par saves at the eighth, ninth and 10th holes made it difficult for her pursuers to harvest encouragement or momentum.

"At the end of the day," she said, "it's not about how you did it. It's only about the score."

A viable short game, she said, "can be the difference between shooting 2 under and 2 over. It puts a lot less pressure on your approach shots when you know you can save it if you have to."

Sorenstam, all but insignificant a year ago while recovering from neck and back injuries, seems to have recaptured attention and respect with her record-setting 54-hole performance at Kingsmill. Jang said she doesn't expect Sorenstam to make the pursuit easy today.

"I'm going to try the best I can, but, yes -- I think she's back," Jang said. "She's not going to back down. She's going to make birdies. I'll have to make more than her, and then we'll see what happens."

Said Kim: "Chasing Annika? I'm just chasing myself right now. I'm going to go out there to just enjoy myself and see where the numbers end up. That's all you can ask for."