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HAVRE DE GRACE, Maryland: World’s No.1 Lorena Ochoa put herself in
position to capture a third straight major title on Friday as she
seized the halfway lead in the $2-million LPGA Championship.
Ochoa fired a 7-under par 65 to take a one
stroke lead on 10-under 134 at Bulle Rock.
The Mexican star was one in front of Australian
Lindsey Wright, with overnight co-leader Lorie Kane of Canada a
further shot back.
Wright carded a 68 for 135, and Kane a 70 for
136.
Rachel Hetherington of Australia (69), South
Korea’s Ji Young Oh (68) and American Brittany Lang (67) were tied
for fourth on 137, while 10-time major champion Annika Sorenstam was
in a quartet on 6-under 138 after posting a 68
Ochoa, a six-time winner already this year, won
the first major of 2008 at the Kraft Nabisco Championship in April.
She also won last season’s women’s British Open, final major of
2007.
Ochoa, whose previous best finish in an LPGA
Championship was a tie for fifth in 2005, carded three birdies on
the front nine, and added four more coming in, capping her round
with a birdie at the last.
Despite the fact that the course was playing
long after days of heavy rain, Ochoa was all over the pins.
Five of her seven birdies were from inside eight
feet. Her longest was from 25 feet at the 16th.
She finished with a flourish, draining a
20-footer at 18.
“If I keep playing this way, then I’m going
to have a good chance,” Ochoa said. “I am not going to say that
I will win, because you never know what is going to happen.”
Kane, who was tied with Emily Bastel for the
lead after the first round, had four birdies in the first nine
holes, but gave back strokes at 12 and 15.
Sweden’s Sorenstam, former world’s No.1 who
recently announced that she is retiring at the end of the season,
had six birdies to counter two bogeys on her inward run.
Defending champion Suzann Pettersen of Norway
was bunched with four others at 5-under 139, while Bastel ballooned
to a 77 and fell into a tie for 50th.
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