Sorenstam makes up for lost time
A day lost to rain. A marathon finish in the second major of the year. Annika Sorenstam in the lead and on top of her game.
One year later, not much has changed in the LPGA Championship.
Keeping her cool while missing a half-dozen good looks at birdie, Sorenstam broke loose with four straight birdies that carried her to a 4-under 67 in the second round Saturday and a one-shot lead over Juli Inkster and Jennifer Rosales.
Next up: A 36-hole finish to make up for lost time in the rain-delayed tournament in Wilmington, Del.
That’s old news for Sorenstam.
“I don’t mind,” she said. “Last year, I had played 34. This will be two more. I hope I can handle it.”
Indeed, Sorenstam has a chance to repeat in more ways than one. A year ago Sunday, she had to play 15 holes to finish her third round, 18 holes of regulation and one hole in a playoff to beat Grace Park.
The way Sorenstam is playing, it could be a long day for those chasing her.
She had a birdie putt on every hole, only one of them from just off the green, and says her swing feels better than ever. The only glitch was a three-putt bogey on the final hole from 40 feet that left her at 7-under 135.
Inkster, who made up a two-shot deficit against Sorenstam to win the U.S. Women’s Open at Prairie Dunes two years ago, also found a groove with her swing and started to fearlessly fire at flags. She shot a 5-under 66, polishing off her round with a big drive and a 7-wood to the front edge of the par-5 ninth.
Inkster played with Rosales, who recovered from two bogeys on her first three holes to shoot 70.
Roberts grabs Buick lead
Loren Roberts left the kids behind in the Buick Classic in Harrison, N.Y.
The 49-year-old Roberts shot a 7-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead over Cameron Beckman and Rory Sabbatini into the final round.
“Hopefully, I’ve still got some competitive fire in me,” Roberts said. “I still think there’s some golf courses out here on tour that I can compete on, and I think this is one of them.”
Roberts played the back nine in 5-under 30 for his best round of the season, closing with two birdies to top the leaderboard at 12 under in the final PGA Tour event before the U.S. Open next week at Shinnecock Hills.
Sabbatini shot a 65, and Beckman birdied the final five holes for a 66.
Fred Couples, the second-round leader at 10 under after rounds of 67 and 65, shot a 74 to join Masters champion Phil Mickelson (69) in a five-player group at 7 under. Couples had five bogeys and an eagle – a 60-foot bunker shot on the par-5 fifth.
•David Duval announced Saturday night that he is ending his seven-month layoff by playing in the U.S. Open next week at Shinnecock Hills, his first pro competition since he withdrew from a tournament in Japan in November.
“I’m ready to go play,” Duval told The Associated Press from his home in Denver on Saturday night.
Doyle leads Pate by one shot
Allen Doyle shot a 6-under 66 to take a one-shot lead after two rounds of the Bayer Advantage Celebrity Pro-Am in Parkville, Mo.
Doyle made four birdies on the front nine and three on the back to move to 13 under. He is in position for his first Champions Tour victory of the season.
He has a one-shot lead over Jerry Pate, who matched the course record with a 7-under 65.
Andy Bean (70), Mark James (69), Bob Gilder (68) and David Eger (68) were four shots back.
American women down 3-0
Michelle Wie and Brittany Lang lost their opening match as Britain-Ireland took an early 3-0 lead over the United States in the Curtis Cup play in Formby, England.
The 14-year-old Wie, the youngest player in Curtis Cup history, and Lang lost by one hole to Anne Laing and Claire Coughlan in the biennial amateur competition.
The U.S. is trying to retain the only cup it owns outright. European and British teams have the Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup and Walker Cup. The Presidents Cup ended in a tie.
U.S. captain Martha Kirouac chose three players still in high school, and no one in the American team is over 22.
“That’s three points,” Kirouac said. “It’s not the end of the world. There is a long time before Sunday afternoon.”