WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia (AFP) - Former world number one Annika Sorenstam outclassed top-ranked Lorena Ochoa in a head-to-head duel Saturday to keeps a three-stroke lead after three rounds of the LPGA Michelob Ultra Open.

Swedish legend Sorenstam, a winner in 19 of the past 20 events she has led entering the final round, fired a two-under par 69 to stand on 14-under 199 after 54 holes at Kingsmill with South Korean Jeong Jang three back after a 69.

Sorenstam, who fired two of her three lowest rounds of the past two years on Thursday and Friday, seeks her 72nd career title and a 330,000-dollar top prize at the 2.2 million-dollar event.

A birdie at the seventh and back-to-back 20-foot curving birdie putts at 13 and 14 gave Sorenstam a four-stroke lead on Jang after 17 holes.

But Sorenstam splashed her tee shot at 18 into the water and scrambled to rescue a bogey, her first of the week, to keep the same lead as she had when she began the round.

"I still love this place so I'm looking forward to a great day tomorrow," Sorenstam said.

Prior to this season, Sorenstam had gone 15 months without winning an event.

Back playing at a high standard after battling injury last year, Sorenstam would like to take a shot at regaining the top ranking.

"I would love to get to No. 1, yeah," she said. "But, it's a long road. Lorena has played some fantastic golf. She's got five wins this year. She has so many more wins than me last year.

"It's a big ground to make up so I'm just focusing on one week at a time. I feel very good the way I'm playing this week, I felt great how the season is shaping up so we'll see what happens. I would love to continue to play some great golf to even have a chance."

Playing alongside Sorenstam for the third day in a row, Ochoa struggled through the round after starting the day sharing second with Jang. She finished with a 74 to share 10th on 207.

Ochoa opened with a birdie and added another at the seventh but followed that with bogeys on four of the next five holes and another at the par-3 17th while Sorenstam surged ahead.

"I think it was just a bad day for me," Ochoa said. "It was a struggle, especially the back nine, a lot more on the greens and just a bad day for me."

Ochoa was again disappointed with her performance on the greens.

"I don't know why," she said. "I just didn't have a good rhythm today, didn't have good speed. I'm not even going to think about it or try to work on it, I'm going to go home and relax and get ready for tomorrow."

Jang, who also began three back of Sorenstam, began with a bogey but bounced back with birdies at three, 11 and 14 for a round of 69 to keep within reach of the lead.

"I played with Annika today," Jang said. "She hit great driver and shot. She had great, great putters. So I just try really hard tomorrow and see what happens but she has a big day. I want to do the best I can do."

American Christina Kim was third on 203, two strokes ahead of Sweden's Maria Hjorth with Britain's Karen Stupples, Taiwan's Candie Kung and Koreans Ji-Young Oh, Jee Young Lee and In-Bee Park all on 206.