Yani Tseng takes Safeway Classic lead

PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) Yani Tseng moved into position to end a long victory drought, shooting a 9-under 63 on Saturday to take a three-stroke lead into the final round of the LPGA's Safeway Classic.

Tseng, the 24-year-old Taiwanese who has 15 LPGA Tour titles and had a 109-week run at No. 1 in the world ranking, is winless in 36 events since the Kia Classic in March 2012. She has tumbled to No. 15 in the world and missed cuts in the four of her last five tournaments.

Norway's Suzann Pettersen, the 2011 tournament winner, was tied for second with Thailand's Pornanong Phatlum. Pettersen had a 70, and Pornanong, the leader after each of the first two rounds at Columbia Edgewater, shot 71.

Sweden's Anna Nordqvist also had a 63 to join Americans Stacy Lewis (65), Morgan Pressel (65) and Lizette Salas (68) at 14 under.

Austin Ernst shot a 62 to tie the tournament record set by Annika Sorenstam in 2002.

Ernst set the stage as the first player on the course. Playing by herself, the tour rookie birdied eight of her first 10 holes to flirt with a 59, then bogeyed the par-4 11th. She is 12 under overall.

Tseng, who opened with rounds of 67 and 68, had 11 birdies and two bogeys in warm, dry and calm conditions to reach 18 under.

Tseng birdied six of the first eight holes and dropped a stroke on the par-4 ninth to make the turn in 5-under 31. She birdied No. 10, then hooked her second shot up against a restroom en route to a bogey on the par-5 12th.

Tseng rebounded with a birdie at 13, and added birdies at 15, 16 and 17 all with putts of less than 10 feet to take the lead. She squandered a chance for another birdie when she missed a 5-foot putt on the par-4 18th.