Felibert in control in Arkansas

Veronica Felibert's surprise run at the NW Arkansas Championship continued as she took a commanding four-stroke lead with one round to play.

The Venezuelan rookie shot a bogey-free five-under 66 on her 27th birthday to move to 11-under, four shots clear of Japan's Mika Miyazato and South Korean Inbee Park after Saturday's second round.

Felibert earned her spot in the final pairing with three birdies on the front nine and two more on the back at the Pinnacle Country Club.

Despite a strong field, Felibert now looks the heavy favourite to take out the title despite failing to even make the cut in her previous three events.

Miyazato had a 65 on Saturday while Park shot a 68 to move into equal second.

American Brittany Lang carded the best round of the tournament (eight-under 63) to top a group of five players at six-under, including compatriots Katie Futcher (67), Ryann O'Toole (68), Japan's Ai Miyazato (68) and LPGA Championship winner Shanshan Feng (70).

World number one Yani Tseng, a two-time defending champion and a three-time winner this year, followed her opening 73 with a 74 to miss her first cut in more than a year.

Tseng is suffering from a poor run of form, with her 74 the sixth straight round over par entering next week's US Women's Open.