Six-time ANZ Ladies Masters champion Karrie Webb carded a third round of 64 at the RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast in Australia on Saturday.

The 35-year-old Queenslander finished at 15-under 201, taking a one shot lead over defending champion and compatriot Katherine Hull and Korean Bo-Mee Lee, setting up an exciting final round battle for Australian golf fans.

Webb, a winner of 45 career titles, birdied her final two holes to edge ahead.

She hit a 6-iron approach shot 159 yards from a fairway bunker to 15 feet on 18 and converted the birdie putt.

“You go through patches where something works for a week or two and then it’s not working. So obviously though it is working right now,” Webb said.

She won the tournament for the sixth time in 2007 in the year she also won the Women’s Australian Open and will be the clear favourite.

“I’ve won from both positions so it doesn’t really bother me. I’m just glad that I’m not three, four, five shots back going into tomorrow and having to really shoot a low one to have a chance,” she said.

She revealed that she had shortened up her swing a little after talking with her coach, Ian Triggs. “I was talking to Ian about it last night and that’s what we just worked on this morning to see if that would get me a bit more consistent timing.

“I hit the ball, to a degree, very well and putted really nicely which, I think, once I get the putter going, it frees up my swing as well.”

With ground conditions underfoot soft and the greens rolling well, scores were generally lower on Saturday’s moving day.

Lee, who has the nickname, “Candy Smile” and who is playing at the tournament for the first time, shot a nine-under 63, which tournament organisers said was a course record because they had moved two of the tees back. Australian Kristie Smith, however, shot a 62 in the tournament last year.

The 22-year-old from Kang Won Province said it was her best ever score in a tournament and attributed it to her putting. “The first two rounds for me weren’t that good, my shots weren’t that good but I had a tip from my coach and it worked really well. My putting, the putt was a straight lie all the time and I putt it well, because it was all straight lie.”

Meanwhile Hull shot 65 and was delighted with her improved attitude on the golf course: “I got a little too intense yesterday and last night sat down with my coach Steve and my caddy Vern and both told me to take it a little easier on myself today.”

Hull and Webb will play together in the final round for the first time, along with Lee. Hull said: “I’m going to go out there tomorrow and give it everything I’ve got.”

In a share of fourth position on 13-under are the KLPGA’s number one and two players in 2009 respectively, So Yeon Ryu and Hee-Kyung Seo, who are both world class players hoping to follow the example of their compatriot, the 2006 champion, Amy Yang.

Third round leader, Amanda Blumenherst of the United States, began well but had to settle for a third round of 70 and a share of sixth position with Taiwan’s Yani Tseng.

Denmark’s Iben Tinning was the best placed European at 10-under-par in outright eighth place.