Sun, Aug 10, 2003 page24

• Kung birdies last five holes at Wendy's Championship

  • AP
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  Candie Kung has come up with a novel way of celebrating birthdays.

  A year after shooting a 65 in the first round of the British Open on her 21st birthday, she birdied the final five holes Friday for an 8-under 64 and a one-shot lead after the opening round of the Wendy's Championship for Children.

  "That's one shot better this year," she said with a laugh. "We'll see what's going to happen next year."

  Teeing off in the afternoon, Kung birdied both par-5s on the front side and was 2 under through 11 holes. Without having to make a putt longer than 12 feet, she birdied six of the last seven holes to finish one stroke in front of Moira Dunn.

  "Starting on the front nine I left a couple of putts short for birdie," she said. "I said to myself, `Hang in there, they're going to come.'"

  At No. 12, she hit a 7-iron to 3 feet. She rolled in a downhill left-to-right breaker at 14, then hit her approaches to 3 feet at 15 and 16.

  On the final two holes, she hit 9-irons from 135 yards to 12 and 10 feet and made the birdie putts.

  Kung won earlier this season at the Takefuji Classic in Las Vegas for her first career victory.

  Coming down the stretch of that final round, her caddie helped take her mind off the pressure by asking her to count the rooms in the massive Las Vegas Hilton across the street. The distraction helped her hold off Annika Sorenstam, Christie Kerr and Soo-Yun Kang by a shot.

  She had another distraction this time -- her thirst.

  "I think I had about 22 bottles of water -- more than one per hole," she said. "I stopped at every single one of the portable toilets."

  Dunn had seven birdies in her 65. Two under through seven holes, she birdied Nos. 8 and 9 and then played the back side in 3-under 33.

  "I just kind of hung around and at the end of the front nine I made a couple [of birdies] coming in," said Dunn, a non-winner in her ninth year on tour. "Then I made a few on the back side. I was just really solid today."

  A.J. Eathorne was third after a 66, while Kellie Kuehne, Nancy Harvey, Jill McGill, Siew-Ai Lim and Patricia Baxter-Johnson were another shot back.

  Eathorne found her swing after taking a two-week hiatus in the middle of what has been a disappointing season.

  "At the US Women's Open and the Canadian Women's Open I was a little nervous and it was a little tough to let go. I had the hooks going," the Canadian pro said. "This week I went to a little bit more open place and let it rip -- rip it hard."

  With Tartan Field Golf Club still soggy from almost 3 inches of rain in the last week, the greens were receptive. The players were permitted to lift, clean and place in the fairways.

  Lim is trying to become the first Malaysian to win an LPGA Tour event. Her progess is followed closely in her homeland.

  "A lot of people would just get online and track me,'' she said. "Some of my friends said, `I hope they don't track who goes to what page because they might think we're stalking you.'"
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