Annika Sorenstam shot a 4-under 68 on Friday to tie Sherri Turner for the second-round lead at the LPGA Corning Classic.
Sorenstam, seeking her fifth win in six starts this year, jumped to the top of the leaderboard after a four-hour delay caused by lightning and rain. Play was stopped because of darkness after Sorenstam's threesome finished, meaning that most of the afternoon starters will have to complete their rounds on Saturday morning.
Turner, who finished before the rain delay, shot a 1-under 71 for a two-round total of 7-under 137.
PHOTO: AFP
The rain softened the course and made the scoring easier after the wind-swept first round. Sung Ah Yim of South Korea birdied No. 2, aced the third hole, and birdied the next two holes for a stunning rally that moved her to 6 under with two holes to play. She was tied with Moira Dunn, who shot a 68, and Karine Icher, who had four holes to play.
South Korea's Jimin Kang and first-round co-leader Sophie Gustafson were at 5 under and also had to complete their rounds.
Sorenstam birdied the first two par-5s to move to 5 under, carding the second after a nice chip-and-roll to 1m as the rain began to fall. Play was halted after she parred No. 6.
PHOTO: AP
When Sorenstam emerged from the locker room after the stoppage, she carded two pars before rolling in a 4.8m birdie putt at No. 9.
A fan yelled "You go girl!" as the putt dropped, and that's exactly what Sorenstam did. A long drive at the 364-yard No. 10 -- which she bogeyed in the opening round -- and a soft second shot that landed 1.8m of the pin set up her second straight birdie.
At the par-3 11th hole, she drove within 1.5m and made birdie again to go to 8 under, then rolled in a curving 2.7m putt for another birdie at the par-5 12th hole to take sole possession of the lead at 9 under.
Just when she seemed unstoppable, Sorenstam faltered just as she did in the first round. After a par at the tough No. 13, she carded consecutive bogeys.
The first came at the par-5 14th, which she eagled Thursday. After laying up in front of the elevated green, Sorenstam chunked her third shot and it spun back off the front edge of the green into the rough. She chipped on and two-putted from 3.6m.
At the 125-yard, par-3 15th hole, Sorenstam's drive landed in the sand trap to the right of the green and she two-putted from 3.3m after blasting out of the sand.
Turner's string of luck continued. She played in the afternoon group on Thursday, after a swirling wind hampered play early. On Friday, she completed the second round under near ideal conditions -- and before the storms.
"I think we were pretty lucky this morning," said the 48-year-old Turner, who won here 17 years ago. "I was thinking I had a good tee time the first two days, for sure."
Rain started falling around 1pm and play was halted a half hour later.
Justin Leonard took advantage of firm fairways at the TPC at Southwind for some extra length off the tee and shot a 5-under 65, extending his lead to five strokes after the second round.
He had six birdies and his first bogey for a 13-under 127 total that was one stroke off the 36-hole course record held by John Cook (1996) and David Frost (1999). Both did it when par was a stroke higher.
Leonard, who led by two strokes after one round, matched the low 36-hole total on tour this year by Joe Ogilvie at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.
Fredric Jacobson of Sweden was the only golfer who even managed to share the lead with Leonard on Friday, and that didn't last long.
Jacobson shot a 65 and was at 8-under 132. He had a piece of the lead until Leonard birdied his seventh hole and took it back.
Paul Goydos (66) was another stroke back in third, while Matt Gogel (68), Heath Slocum (66), Tom Pernice (68) and Roland Thatcher (67) were all at 134. Defending champion David Toms made the cut but was 12 strokes back after a 71.
Kenny Perry, who won Colonial last week, was set to miss the cut -- estimated at 2-over -- after a 74 left him at 147.
Only three others have held the lead alone after every round in Memphis. The last was Bob Estes in 2001. Estes said he thought he was playing well with the exception of two double-bogeys and was at 3-under.
"The golf we're playing this week is more the way golf should be -- firm fairways and firm greens -- and now you're seeing Justin in his element, which is the way it should be more often, playing great golf," Estes said.
The last time Leonard led after the first round, he won the 2003 Honda Classic.
If he keeps playing like this, Leonard, who won the Bob Hope, is well on his way to joining Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson and Perry as multiple winners on the PGA Tour this year.
Leonard rolled five drives over 300 yards, including his longest of 333 on the par-4 9th. After working on his putting Tuesday and Wednesday, he only needed 25 putts in the second round.
He got started with a birdie on the par-3 11th, the tour's hardest short hole with its island green, hitting a wedge to 3m. Leonard stumbled with his only bogey through 36 holes on the par-4 12th when he hit a 9-iron into the left bunker and failed to get out.
He refocused and parred the next four holes then hit a 4-iron into a bunker on No. 16, a par-5, and blasted out to 0.3m. He hit a 7-iron to 6m on the par-4 17th and made the putt to drop to 10-under for the first time.
Leonard made 2.4m putts on the par-5 3rd and par-4 6th, then drained a 9m putt to move to 13-under. He just missed a 3m try for birdie after the big drive on No. 9.
Peter Hedblom of Sweden birdied seven of the last 11 holes for a 7-under 65 at Wentworth to take a three-stroke lead after two rounds.
Paul McGinley's 64 gave him the lead for several hours at 8-under 136 for the tournament before Hedblom's charge left him at 133.
Nick O'Hern of Australia was 7-under after a 69 and Padraig Harrington (68) and Peter Hanson (69) were tied for fourth another shot back.
Former British Open champion Ben Curtis shot 71 to tie with three others at 5-under, and Ernie Els and Colin Montgomerie needed late birdie runs to make cut.
Afterward, both said the greens -- particularly the 17th -- were "out of control" and needed watering.
"They have to get water on those greens. They are already getting out of hand," Els said. "On the 17th, brown rings are appearing. If the ball lands on them, it's gone. If it hits a green spot, it might stop."
Els likened the conditions to those on the last day of last year's US Open at Shinnecock Hills, where he said the course was "out of control."
Els birdied the last three holes for a 69 that left him at 142, two strokes below the cut at even par. Montgomerie shot a 73 with birdies on the 16th and the parched 17th.
"It's burnt," Montgomerie said. "It's desperate for water. I couldn't believe when I saw that green. I've never seen it this dry.
"They should be hosing it now."
Hedblom, birdied holes No. 8-12 and made several putts from 3m to 6m. He holed one from off the green from 7.5m for birdie at the 17th. He's seeking his first victory since the 1996 Moroccan Open, which was his only win. He's also lost in two playoffs, both in 2003.
McGinley just missed the course record of 63, which has been recorded three times. The Irishman missed a 2.7m putt on the final hole that would have tied the record.
"If there was ever a comfortable 64, that was it," McGinley said. "I hit every green in regulation apart from the first, where I missed by about two inches and a couple par-5s which I reached in two.
"I played Wentworth the way it should be played -- course management, strategy, good shot-making, knowing what pins to go for and what pin to hit away from," said the 38-year-old Dubliner, who lives down the road from the course.
Curtis parred the first 10 holes and birdied the 11th. But he could only par the long 12th where others were picking up shots.
"I drove the ball better than yesterday, but I hope I'll play a little better tomorrow than I did today," Curtis said. "I didn't putt particularly well."
Hometown favorite Choi Sang-ho finished with an even-par 72 yesterday to hold on to a three-stroke lead heading into the final round.
Choi held a three-day total of eight-under-par 208 after staving off a charge by Thailand's Thaworn Wiratchant, who shot a three-under 69 at the Nam Seoul Country Club course to stay in contention three strokes back.
Edward Loar of the US also shot a 69 to lie a four strokes off the lead, alongside South Korea's Sung Si-woo.
Choi, who has led since the opening round, made three birdies on the front nine, but faltered coming in, double bogeying the 10th and bogeying two more holes against just one more birdie.
Thaworn, known for his unorthodox swing, could take over from fellow Thai Thongchai Jaidee at the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit with a strong showing in Seoul.
Thaworn carded five birdies but joined Choi in double bogeying the par-three sixth hole.
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