Honolulu's Michelle Wie rallied for three birdies on the back nine for a 1-under-par 70 yesterday, but a day of low scores — led by Eunjung Yi's 61 — dropped her out of contention after the third round of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic at Sylvania, Ohio.

Wie, who started the day three shots back of the lead, was tied for 22nd at 9-under 204, nine shots behind leader Yi, whose 10-under round put her at 195.

Song-Hee Kim, who shot a 64, and Morgan Pressel (67), who represents Kapalua, were four shots back at 199.

Eighty-two of the 83 golfers finished at par or better after three rounds over the Highland Meadows Golf Club.

Wie, a Punahou alum and Stanford student, started her day with a bogey on the par-4 first and suffered another at the par-3 sixth. She played bogey free on the back nine with birdies on Nos. 13 and 16, both par-4s, and the par-5 No. 17. Wie has birdied Nos. 16 and 17 three days in a row.

The 21-year-old Yi, who has never finished better than a tie for 11th in her 23 LPGA Tour events, recorded eight birdies and an eagle in her round and was at 18-under 195 after putting up the lowest third-round score in the tournament's 25 years.

"I like this course. I can shoot very good," she said, disdaining a translator. "We have more holes tomorrow. I'll stay focused."

Yi grew up in South Korea but now spends summers at a rambling 9-bedroom, 4 1/2-bath home in the San Diego area with her father, mother, two brothers and a sister — who joined her in the States two years ago. Her father runs a Korean restaurant.

"If I win, my dad will give everyone a free meal," she said with a laugh.

After starting the day tied for seventh and three shots back of Sarah Kemp and Laura Diaz, Yi birdied four holes on the front side and then started the back by holing a 110-yard pitching wedge from the fairway for eagle.

"I thought it was a little short but it went in the hole," she said.

The eagle was nothing new for Yi, who wears a knee brace on her left leg. Playing in the Corning Classic earlier this season, she eagled the first, second and fifth holes on the way to a 3-under 69, becoming the fifth LPGA player to collect three eagles in the same round.

Continuing to pour it on, she birdied Nos. 12, 13, 16 and 17 — and barely missed a couple of other birdie putts. She could have matched defending champion Paula Creamer's course- and tournament-record 60 set in last year's first round but her 5-foot birdie putt on the closing par-5 lipped out.

The previous low third-round score was Karrie Webb's 62 a year ago.

Yi, never known for her putting, needed just 22 putts to break her previous scoring low on tour by five strokes.

"My putting is always bad, but today was different," said Yi, who earned a spot in her first Women's British Open during qualifying over the opening 36 holes of the Farr.

Pressel, seeking her third career win and first of the year, also avoided any bogeys. She played steadily throughout, continually burning the edges of the hole on birdie putts. She figured she was one of many who could still take the $210,000 first-place check.

"There are more people than just me who have a chance (to win)," she said. "We've seen that three days in a row, where someone has gone crazy and made a lot of putts."

Sweden's Mikaela Parmalid, who teed off more than 4 hours before the last group, shot a 62 to jump from a tie for 54th through 36 holes to the lead by herself until she was caught and passed by Yi.

Parmalid was at 12-under along with the world's No. 2 player, Yani Tseng (65), Kemp (70), Shanshan Feng (65), Suzann Pettersen (67), Jiyai Shin (68) and Seon Hwa Lee (68).

Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa birdied three of the first five holes before racking up 13 consecutive pars in a 67 that left her at 202 with Natalie Gulbis.