Kim keeps lead in State Farm, Wie surges into second
Christina Kim's second-round 68 at the LPGA State Farm Classic in Springfield, Ill., looked ordinary compared to her opening 63, but it included a birdie putt on her last hole that gave her a one-stroke lead over the charging Michelle Wie and three others.
Kim was the first-day leader, but said yesterday was, by comparison, a fight.
She bogeyed the par-5 sixth hole and saved par on her opening hole only after finding the green with her second shot from behind a line of trees well off the fairway.
"It was quite a struggle, I thought," said the pigtailed Kim. "I shot a 9 under [Thursday] and it's always hard to follow that."
Right behind her is the 18-year-old Wie, playing easily her best golf of the year while shooting a 65 that pulled her to 12 under for the tournament.
Wie, who has never won an LPGA tournament, is playing only part time this year after enrolling at Stanford. She played aggressively and counted on her short game and the forgiveness of the wide-open Panther Creek Country Club course.
"I've had two solid rounds but I'm still a shot behind. I need to go lower over the weekend," she said. "There's a lot of birdie opportunities out there today that I missed. So tomorrow and Sunday I just need to get the rest."
Sherri Turner and Yani Tseng, a second-year pro from Taiwan who won the LPGA Championship this year, finished the day tied with Wie at 12 under.
Champions - Dana Quigley of Barrington, R.I., shot a tournament-record 10-under 62 and leads after the first round of the 3M Championship in Blaine, Minn.
Gene Jones shot a 64, and is two shots back. Jeff Sluman birdied four of his last five holes to join R.W. Eaks at 7 under.
"There was no negative stuff that ever creeped in there for 18 holes," said Quigley, who matched his career low score in 11 years on the tour.
Ed Dougherty, Gary Hallberg, John Harris, and Loren Roberts are four shots back after shooting 66.
PGA - First-round leader Richard S. Johnson shot 3-under 67 and Nick Flanagan had a 63 to share the second-round lead at 10 under in the US Bank Championship over the 6,579-yard Brown Deer Park Golf Course in Milwaukee.
Kent Jones and Gavin Coles were tied for third a shot back. Jones shot 65 and Coles, of Australia, had the low round at 62, one shy of the course record.
