HAVRE DE GRACE, Md. – Hardly anyone recognized the name Na On Min on the leaderboard, and even more surprising was the number of birdies she strung together Saturday at the LPGA Championship.

When the 18-year-old from South Korea finished a 7-under 65, she was poised to make a name for herself in the record books.

Playing in only her sixth professional tournament and her first major championship, Min ran off four birdies on the last six holes for the best round this week at Bulle Rock, giving her a one-shot lead over Suzann Pettersen and a chance to become the youngest major champion in LPGA Tour history.

Only 10 weeks ago, Morgan Pressel became the tour’s youngest major champion by winning the Kraft Nabisco. Pressel was a decorated amateur, however, and nearly won the U.S. Women’s Open two years earlier.

Min didn’t even learn to play golf until she was 12. Like other South Korean juniors, she was inspired by the success of Se Ri Pak, whose Hall of Fame career began at this tournament 10 years ago.

“I’m just really excited,” said Min, who was at 10-under 206. “This is my first major. I’ll do my best to keep focus on each shot.” She will play in the final group with Pettersen, who recovered from two double bogeys and her torturously slow play – it took more than 4 hours as a twosome – to shoot 71.

Karrie Webb stayed in the mix with a 10-foot par save on the 17th hole and shot 71. She was two shots behind at 208, along with Angela Park (68), another 18-year-old rookie.

Pressel, bidding for the second leg of the Grand Slam, shot 70 and was only three shots behind. Asked if she knew who Min was, Pressel was honest as ever.

“I did not,” she said.

But the score sure got her attention. Wind that brushed off overnight rain stuck around Bulle Rock and made it play as tough as it has all week. Min wasn’t the least bit bothered, overcoming a bogey on the par-5 second hole by keeping the ball in play, and close to the hole.

Scott pushes lead to 3 strokes

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Adam Scott wanted to kill time before the U.S. Open by playing.

Now he’s put himself in position to head to Oakmont Country Club as a wire-to-wire winner.

Scott, the world’s fourth-ranked golfer, grabbed a three-stroke lead Saturday through three rounds of the Stanford St. Jude Championship, shooting a 2-under 68 at the stingy TPC Southwind course.

The Australian, who shared the first-round lead with Fredrik Jacobson, had to wait until Saturday morning to see if he remained atop the leaderboard.

A three-hour rain delay Friday led to a suspension that left 26 players to finish the second round Saturday.

Only Andrew Buckle, a fellow Aussie, had a chance to catch Scott at the end of the second round, and he double-bogeyed his final hole. That left Scott, the Houston Open winner the week before the Masters, leading by a stroke lead after 36 holes.

Two-time Memphis winner David Toms shot a 66 and was 6-under along with Brian Gay (70), who blew a two-stroke lead with consecutive bogeys on the back nine. Woody Austin (67) was 5 under, followed by Brian Davis (68) at 4 under. Jacobson (70), Dean Wilson (66), Will MacKenzie (67), Joe Durant (68) and Brandt Snedeker (69) were 3 under.

John Daly, who overshadowed Scott’s steady performance Friday when he accused his wife of waking him up that morning by attacking him with a steak knife, came in tied for 58th. He shot a 75 and was 74th at 9 over.

Scott bogeyed two of his first nine holes, letting Gay take a two-stroke lead at 8 under with two birdies over four holes. But Gay drove into the middle of the lake on the par-4 12th, setting up consecutive bogeys.

The Aussie didn’t waste the opportunity.

He birdied Nos. 13, 15 and 16, taking the lead back to himself after hitting an iron within 4 feet on the 13th and holing a 13-footer on 15 to move to 8 under. He birdied the par-5 16th after lipping the edge of the cup from 10 feet.

Toms, who hasn’t finished worse than 10th at the TPC Southwind since 2001, put himself in position to challenge Scott with five birdies and a bogey. He lipped out a 3-footer for birdie on No. 16.

The par-4 ninth single-handedly knocked Buckle off the pace with a pair of double bogeys hours apart.

The first came with Buckle at 6 under Saturday morning finishing up his second round. Grouped with Gay and Scott in the third, Buckle drove in the right rough and hit his third onto the green only to watch it trickle back within a foot of the water and he couldn’t get up and down.

He finished with a 75 and was at 1 over overall.

Divots: Jose Coeres withdrew after nine holes because of back problems. … Ken Duke had the best front nine Saturday, shooting a 31. The native of Arkadelphia, Ark., bogeyed four of the first five holes on the back nine and finished with a 70 for a 2-over total. … Nathan Green holed a putt from 54 feet for birdie on No. 13. It didn’t help much. He shot a 73 and was tied for 72nd.

AP-ES-06-09-07 1904EDT