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CLIFTON, New Jersey: World’s No. 1 Lorena Ochoa of Mexico birdied
the last three holes to fire a 5-under par 67 Saturday, seizing a
two-stroke lead after the second round of the LPGA Sybase Classic.
Ochoa, whose four-event win streak was snapped
last week by Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam, stood on 9-under 135 after
36 holes in the $2-million tournament with Sweden’s Sophie
Gustafson and Taiwan’s Teresa Lu next on 137.
“I played really good today,” Ochoa said.
“It wasn’t easy with the wind in all different directions. I’m
just glad I’m on top right now.”
Ochoa, who has won a total of five events this
season, is in search of her third straight victory.
The tournament was shortened to 54 holes on
Friday after heavy rain swamped the layout with less than half the
field on the course, wiping out what play had been achieved in favor
of restarting the second round Saturday.
South Koreans Hye Jung Choi and Na Yeon Choi
each fired 68s to share fourth on 138, one stroke ahead of American
Brittany Lang and two better than American Kristy McPherson,
Britain’s Catriona Matthew and Sorenstam, who fired a 73.
Second-ranked Sorenstam, who announced Tuesday
she will retire at the end of the 2008 season, shared the lead when
the round began but was undone by a double bogey at the 18th hole.
In addition to her double-bogey finish,
Sorenstam had a pair of bogeys offsetting her three birdies.
The Swede, who has won her last two starts and
three tournaments this season, said she knew Ochoa would be tough to
catch.
The Mexican has won 16 of 23 LPGA events when
she has the lead entering the final round.
Ochoa birdied three of the four par-5 holes to
move atop the leaderboard, She birdied the par-3 third and par-5
fifth holes, followed a birdie at the par-5 11th with her only bogey
of the day at 12 and birdied 16, 17 and 18 to take command.
-- AFP
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