Before yesterday's largest galleries, the 14-year-old from Honolulu fired a 2-under-par 70 in a round filled with near-misses on the greens and marred by a handful of unlucky bounces on the 6,620-yard layout at Superstition Mountain.

"Today was the hardest of the three rounds," said Wie who is alone in ninth at 7-under 209, nine behind Sorenstam. "I didn't really hit my driver and irons that well, I went into the rough a lot today and I just had the worst lies."

Sorenstam had a great start and a good finish to take a two-stroke lead into the final round.

Sorenstam, in her LPGA Tour season debut, chipped in from 60 feet for an eagle on the second hole, then finished play with two birdies for a 4-under 68 that left her at 16-under 200.

Nineteen-year-old tour rookie Shi Hyun Ahn shot a 66 and was two strokes back at 14-under 202 on the Superstition Mountain Golf Club course 50 miles east of Phoenix.

Cristie Kerr, who began the day one shot behind Sorenstam, shot a 70 and was three back at 13-under 203.

Wie, a Punahou School freshman, has a new look on the golf course with caddie Bobby Verway. ÊVerway replaced her father, BJ, who had carried her bag for most of 2003.

Verway caddied for Wie during the PGA Tour's Sony Open in Hawai'i, and for the past six years for his uncle Gary Player. BJ Wie watched intently yesterday, binoculars in tow, from outside the ropes.

Inside the ropes, Wie was steady yesterday. She carded eight consecutive pars before nearly knocking in a pitching wedge from 115 yards on the par-4 ninth hole. Wie settled for a tap-in birdie.

After missing birdie attempts from 6 and 12 feet, Wie had her only hiccup of the day on the tournament's shortest par-4. Wie attempted to drive the 310-yard 14th and hit the ball left, which left it buried in deep rough short of the green. Verway said a cell phone rang during her swing.

"I got a little bit greedy there," Wie said. Ê"The ball was buried. It was dead."

She pitched over the green into another buried lie, stubbed the chip and fell back to 5-under.

On the 412-yard No. 16, statistically the most difficult hole in the tournament, Wie hit a 317-yard bomb off the tee that set up her 7-foot birdie putt which she followed with a 15-footer on the par-3 17th. Ê

On the par-5 18th, Wie's second shot plugged in the lip of a greenside bunker. ÊShe had to play away from the hole and two-putted for par.

"If I made 80 percent of the 15-footers I've had, I'd be 14 or 15 under right now," said Wie who hit six fairways and 14 greens.

Wie is averaging 281 yards off the tee, the longest in the field, and had 30 putts yesterday.

Wie said she is figuring out how to play different types of grass, learning where to hit the ball on the greens and gaining more confidence in her first LPGA tournament of the season. She is also getting used to some of the fastest greens (13 on the stimpmeter) the LPGA will see all season.

"I'm just going to play the same as I played the first two days because I just played awesome," Wie said. "I'm going to be a bit more tired, but I'll keep it on the fairway, close on the greens and make the putt."

If Wie can hold on to her position, she'll equal her best finish in an LPGA event, a tie for ninth at last year's Kraft Nabisco Championship.