Julieta Granada clings to 1-shot lead at LPGA finale

NAPLES, Fla. – The top four golfers heading into the final round of the CME Group Tour Championship have a combined four championships.

So while Stacy Lewis, Lydia Ko, Michelle Wie and So Yeon Ryu will face pressure as they try to take home the $1 million prize in the Race the CME Globe, Julieta Granada, Carlota Ciganda, Morgan Pressel and Sandra Gal also have nerves to battle.

After all, winning the CME Group Tour Championship brings with it a $500,000 check.

Granada (9-under) and Ciganda (8-under) remain 1-2 as they held up well Saturday despite never going into the third round with the lead. Tied with Ciganda is Morgan Pressel, who birded her last hole.

"Yeah, it's funny," Granada said. "The first night it's like, 'Oh, it's just the first day.' Right? Second night it's like,' It's the second day; we're halfway there.'

"I slept pretty good so far. I been feeling pretty came and just pretty relaxed out there. There is not a lot of thought going on. I'm just playing some golf. If I play like that tomorrow, should be fun."

Fun also is what Pressel found the day to be.

"I felt comfortable today in the final group, which I haven't - I mean, I was in the final group in Japan, but before then it had been quite a long time," Pressel said. "It was a different position for me, and I think I just enjoyed it and felt comfortable out there. My playing partners were great today and we had a nice time."

Pressel has two career victories. Granada and Gal have one. The last time any of those players won was Gal in 2011. Pressel hasn't won since 2008 and Granada 2006.

Gal, who went to the University of Florida, seems to really like this Tiburon Course. Last season, she shot a 64, which helped her lead after two rounds. She finished fourth at 12-under.

"I have a lot of real good memories of this course," she said. "It really suits my eye and it's nice to be playing here well again."
Warmer temperatures greeted the players Saturday but they did have to battle some light rain as well as a cross wind.

"It was is it cross hurting? Is it cross helping?," Pressel said. "It was going back and forth all day today."

Granada had another solid day, shooting a 2-under 70 for a three-day total of 9-under 207. She had three birdies in her first 11 holes, then bogeyed No. 13, birdied No. 15 and bogeyed 16.

She said to win her first tourney in eight years, she has to manage herself and her mom as well as herself.

"When I get nervous she just tells me to slow down, remember to breathe," I always tell her, 'But if I don't breathe I'm going to die, so I'm still breathing. It's okay.'

"We're aware when each other is a little bit nervous or whatever. We talk about it walking and try to get back into our groove.

Ciganda had a rough start with bogeys on Nos. 2 and 3 before she had birdies on Nos. 6, 8, 12. She followed a bogey on No. 15 with a birdie on No. 17.

Pressel, followed her Friday 6-under 66 with a 2-under 70. After starting with a bogey, she had birdies on Nos. 3, 7 and 18. Pressel had a nice approach that put her within 2 feet on No. 18.

Chris Handel writes for The News-Press, a Gannett property.