Golf: Davies raises the standard

LAURA DAVIES hit a seven- under-par 66 to take the third- round lead in the Standard Register Ping tournament in Phoenix on Saturday.

The British player used a deft short game to overcome a three-shot deficit at the start of the day to finish with a one- shot lead over the American, Elaine Crosby.

STANDARD REGISTER PING WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT (Phoenix, Arizona) Leading third- round scores (US unless stated): 207 L Davies (GB) 69 72 66. 208 E Crosby 73 69 66. 209 K Robbins 68 70 71. 211 D Eggeling 72 72 67; C Schreyer 69 70 72; C Keggi 67 72 72; C Chillemi 68 70 73. 212 D Mochrie 72 70 70; B Daniel 71 71 70; D Andrews 71 71 70; B Burton 71 69 72; H Kobayashi (Japan) 70 70 72. 213 A Nicholas (GB) 73 71 69; M McGeorge 71 71 71; A Ritzman 70 72 71; S Little (SA) 70 71 72; N Lopez 75 65 73. 214 T Johnson (GB) 74 72 68; L Walters (Can) 73 70 71; T Myers 71 72 71; V Skinner 68 73 73.