Tanah Merah Country Club, Thursday, February 29, 2008 – Mexico's Lorena Ochoa fired a 7-under-par 65 on Friday to increase her lead to seven strokes after two rounds of play at the HSBC Women's Champions in Singapore. The 2007 Rolex Player of the Year is now 13-under-par (66-65=131) entering Saturday's third round.
Ochoa, who led by one stroke over Creamer and Japan's Ai Miyazato following the first round, got off to a hot start with a bogey-free 5-under 31 on the front nine of Tanah Merah's Garden Course. She added three more birdies on the back nine, coupled with ‘good' bogey on the hole 13, a par-5, where she took an unplayable lie on her drive and scrambled to roll in a 15-foot putt for six to maintain a comfortable cushion.
"It was great from my driver to the putting," said Ochoa, who now counts 65 as her low round of the season. "I kept hitting my second shots really close and gave myself a lot of birdie chances, so I was very consistent. One of those days you really want to memorize and hopefully repeat."
Sweden's Annika Sorenstam made a second-round charge to move into a tie for second place with Paula Creamer (67-71=138) and South Korean In-Kyung Kim (68-70=138). Sorenstam notched a bogey-free 67 with five birdies - including four consecutive to close the day - putting herself in the final group on Saturday alongside Ochoa and Kim. After winning the SBS Open at Turtle Bay in the opening week of the 2008 LPGA Tour season, Sorenstam finished alone in fourth place last week, increasing her season-leading earnings total to $232,112.
Creamer, who admitted she did not perform up to personal standards on Friday, used four birdies and three bogies to stay in the weekend hunt. The 21-year-old American was 2-under on the day approaching hole 16 where she gave away a shot on the driveable par-4 after missing a two and a half foot par putt. She will play alongside Solheim Cup teammate Stacy Prammanasudh (70-69=139) and LPGA and World Golf Hall of Fame member Karrie Webb in Saturday's second round.
Kim, who was tied for fourth following the first round, went from one extreme to the other on Friday with an eagle on the par-5 ninth hole and a triple bogey on the par-5 13th. She recovered to shoot 2-under 70 on the day.
The HSBC Women's Champions features 78 of the world's best players playing in a 72-hole stroke play format with no cut. Tee times for Saturday begin at 8:50 a.m.
American Natalie Gulbis fired a 4-under-par 68 on Friday to move into a tie for eight place at the HSBC Women's Champions in Singapore. Entering the second round at even-par, Gulbis made birdie on five holes - including four on the front nine - before a bogey on 18 set her back. She is tied with South Koren Jee Young Lee for eighth place.
LPGA veterans Angela Stanford and Jimin Kang and KLPGA leading-money winner Ji-Yai Shin each fired a 3-under-par 69 in the second round of the HSBC Women's Champions to move into a tie for 16th. The trio also matched each other shot for shot in the first round with 1-over-par 73's. They sit one shot out of tenth place, shared by six players including Japan's Ai Miyazato and reigning Kraft Nabisco champion Morgan Pressel.
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