Golf-Swedish rookie Nordqvist leads by one, lightning halts play

By Larry Fine

HAVRE DE GRACE, Maryland, June 13 (Reuters) - Swedish rookie Anna Nordqvist held a one-shot lead over Australian Lindsey Wright with nine holes to go in Saturday's third round of the LPGA Championship before play was suspended because of lightning.

Organisers said they expected play to resume later on Saturday.

Nordqvist, 22, made two birdies on the front nine of Bulle Rock to reach 10 under par, one better than Wright.

The tall Swede rolled in a six-foot birdie putt at the par-three third hole and sank a 10-footer at number four.

Wright reached nine-under after three successive birdies from the sixth, then bounced back from a bogey at the ninth with a birdie at 10.

Two shots back was 21-year-old Choi Na-yeon of South Korea, who had four birdies in a blistering outward nine of 32 that lifted her to nine-under before a bogey at 11 pulled her back.

Choi was very nearly another shot better as her tee shot at the 151-yard, par-three seventh short-hopped the stick leaving her with a three-inch tap-in for birdie.

Nordqvist began the hot, sunny day with a one-stroke lead over American Nicole Castrale, who bogeyed the second hole and the fifth to slip back. She made the turn at six under par, tied with Han Hee-won of South Korea.