SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – A bottle of nerves even when she’s taking a nap, Jennifer Rosales belted a 3-iron and watched it climb the dangerous ridge on the 18th green until it safely stopped 18 feet from the hole. She slapped hands with her caddie and strolled up the fairway, a rare chance to exhale Saturday at the U.S. Women’s Open.

Annika Sorenstam made a swift charge that would get anyone’s attention. Michelle Wie fired up her legion of fans with shots beyond her years, rocking Orchards Golf Club with the kind of noise that cannot be ignored.

Rosales was never flustered, surging ahead with a 2-under 69 that gave her a three-shot lead over Sorenstam, Meg Mallon and Kelly Robbins at the biggest tournament in women’s golf.

“I was kind of nervous at the end a little bit,” Rosales said. “It was more adrenalin. It was too strong, because I wanted to make birdies to have that cushion. But I’m pretty happy the way I ended up.”

The real test is how she finishes it off.

Rosales was at 7-under 206 and has the outright 54-hole lead for the first time. Adding to the pressure are the players chasing her – three-time major winner Mallon with her in the final group; former LPGA champion Robbins and Sorenstam right in front of her.

“Annika is an awesome player,” Rosales said. “She’s going to try to win this bad. But I told myself, Jen, just try and play hard and never look back.”‘

Wie was down, but still had an outside shot at becoming the youngest winner of a major.

The 14-year-old from Hawaii recovered from a poor front nine with an array of shots, the most impressive an 8-iron into 6 feet for birdie on the 439-yard 16th hole, the third-longest in Women’s Open history.

But it all came undone on the 18th, when her drive bounced into the rough, her approach sailed into the gallery and she three-putted for double bogey and a 71 that left her at 1-under 212, in a tie for seventh with Pat Hurst and three others but still six shots behind Rosales.

Wie has been in contention twice at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, but this major is different.

One thing that never changes is Sorenstam in contention.

The best player in women’s golf recovered from two bogeys on the first four holes with a couple of bursts – back-to-back birdies to make the turn at even par, then a 20-foot eagle putt on the par-5 13th and a shot out of the rough to 12 feet for birdie on the next hole.

Sorenstam wound up with a 70 and will play in the next-to-last group.

Ames, Hensby hold lead, but Tiger lurking

LEMONT, Ill. – Ten years ago, Mark Hensby was sleeping in his car on the range at Cog Hill Golf Club, killing time until he could go home to Australia. Now look at him.

Hensby shot a bogey-free 67 at his old haunt Saturday, giving him a share of the third-round lead at the Western Open. Stephen Ames (64) joined him at 9-under 204, and both will be looking for their first PGA Tour victory.

Ames and Hensby better watch their backs, though, because Tiger Woods is making a move. A day after flirting with the cut, Woods rebounded with a 6-under 65 to pull within four shots of the lead. Jim Furyk (68), playing his second tournament since wrist surgery in March, is also four back, as is Mike Small (69).

Geoff Ogilvy (68) is one stroke behind the leaders. Stuart Appleby (67) and second-round co-leader Steve Lowery (70) are tied for fourth at two strokes back.

“I have a chance,” Woods said. “That’s what I wanted to do is go out there and play well enough where at least I have a chance going into Sunday.”

Now if I play a very similar round like I did today, you never know.”

Hensby came to the United States from rural Australia in 1994, hoping to make it as a golfer. He stayed with some friends of friends in the Chicago suburbs, won the Illinois Amateur and pinned his hopes on Q-school.

But he fell short in the second round. With his host family already gone and his departure date for Australia still a few weeks away, Hensby didn’t have many options. So he pulled his car up to the range at Cog Hill and slept there.

“When you grow up where I grew up in Australia, it wasn’t that big a deal,” he said. “I slept on the clubhouse roof back home.”

People around here still remember him, so they were thrilled with his finish Saturday. Starting the day a stroke off the lead, Hensby made three birdies on the front nine and a fourth on the par-5 15th to charge to the top.

He had to scramble on his last two holes to stay there, making two beautiful up-and-downs that had fellow Aussie and playing partner Ogilvy calling him “Seve Hensby.”

On the par-4 17th, Hensby’s tee shot landed in a bunker on the left side of the fairway. He hit it heavy, and landed behind another trap on the front, left side of the green. But he hit a great chip shot to within six feet of the cup and made it to save par.

His shot on 18 was even tougher. Pushed up against the greenside grandstands, he took a drop. His chip shot ran straight at the hole and actually hit the cup, prompting a roar from the crowd. But it bounced over, rolling about 10 feet past the pin. Hensby made the putt to save par again.

“It was a shot you could stand there 100 times and not hit it again,” Hensby said. “I hit it perfect, and almost holed it.”

That was good enough to keep him tied with Ames, who is having one of the best years on the tour. He has eight top-10 finishes, six in his last seven starts.

“I don’t press myself to see if I should win or can win,” said Ames, whose best finish this year was third at the Colonial. “I’m trying to play each day as it comes, and when the chips fall where they should or they shouldn’t, I’ll just take it from there.”

If Ames keeps playing like this, though, he’s bound to win soon. He closed his bogey-free round with birdies on his last four holes, saving the best for last.

He went from bunker-to-bunker with his second shot, leaving himself almost 50 feet from the pin. But he holed out, and the crowd yelled so loud it could be heard on the opposite side of the course. Ames raised his arms in triumph before climbing out of the trap.

“I only have control over one thing, and that’s me,” said Ames, who tied the course record with a 63 in 2000, when par was 72. “If the putts are going to fall, they’re going to fall. If bunker shots are going to go in the hole, that’s how it goes.”

After struggling in his first two rounds, Woods had his game almost where he wanted it Saturday. He opened with three birdies, then got to 5 under – within one stroke of the leaders – when he rolled in a 10-footer on the par-4 No. 5, his 14th hole.

But Woods couldn’t stay out of the sand on the next two holes, bogeying both. He closed with two birdies, including one of the more impressive shots of the day on the par-5 No. 9.

Still 336 yards away, Woods actually flew the green and landed in the thick rough behind it. But he chipped to within eight feet, and made the birdie putt to get to 5 under.

“You’ve got to keep fighting and keep grinding,” Woods said. “I have plenty of holes left to try and make it up.”

Divots: The field played in threesomes Saturday to avoid heavy afternoon thunderstorms. … Hensby has never had a 54-hole lead. … The 9-under 204 is the highest third-round score at the Western since 1997.

AP-ES-07-03-04 1758EDT