Golfweek - Golf News Magazine

By ANNE M. PETERSON
Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. – Lorena Ochoa’s fast start Saturday jumped her into the lead of the Safeway Classic. Now she wants to finish better.

Ochoa finished her round Saturday with two bogeys, but was helped by eight earlier birdies to give her a 66 and a one-stroke lead over Sophie Gustafson going into Sunday’s final round at Columbia Edgewater Country Club.

“It’s going to be important to get off to a good start tomorrow and just keep it going,” Ochoa said.

Michelle Wie, playing in Portland on a sponsor’s exemption, continued her woes this season with a 75 to go 10 over. Wie, who has had trouble with her left wrist, has made the cut just once in five appearances this year on the tour.

Gustafson, who shared the lead going into Saturday’s round with rookie Ji-Young Oh, had a 68 to go to 10-under 134. Ochoa is at 11-under 133.

“I struggled with my rhythm I think on the back and just kept missing fairways,” Ochoa said. “I missed 10, 11, and 17 and 18. So I got in trouble, you know. I guess it was just meant to happen, making bogeys after missing those fairways. But I’m still feeling good.”

Ochoa won the Canadian Women’s Open in Edmonton, Alberta, last week. It was her second straight victory and fifth of the season. Her victory at the Women’s British Open was her first major title.

After she bogeyed the par-4 17th hole, Ochoa hit her tee shot into the trees on the par-4 18th and her second shot into the rough in front of the green. She hit her chip shot within 10 feet, but her putt lipped out for the bogey.

Gustafson, who is from Sweden, has not won on the LPGA Tour since 2003. Her best finish this season was a tie for fifth at the Safeway International. She had five birdies and a bogey on Saturday.

“I was just trying to keep up with Lorena,” Gustafson said. “She got off to such a good start. I was just trying to hang on.”

The 19-year-old Oh, from South Korea, was four shots back of Ochoa after a second-round 71 that gave her a 7-under 137 going into Sunday’s final. Mhairi McKay of Scotland had a 67 and was also at 7-under.

Natalie Gulbis, who won her first tournament title earlier this year at the Evian Masters, finished with a 68 for a 5-under 139 on the 6,377-yard course near the Portland airport. Diana D’Alessio (69) also was 5 under.

Defending champion Pat Hurst shot 70, but was 3 over after the second round. She did, however, make the cut.

Nancy Lopez, who has 48 tour victories, had a disastrous 91 on Saturday, putting her 29 over after two rounds.

This was her fifth tournament in a comeback bid. She has yet to make a cut.

Golf’s gracious ambassador was smiling as she went to the scorer’s tent after her round. A group of fans chanted “Nancy! Nancy!” when she emerged.

“I just have to forget today,” she said. “It was brutal.”

---

Scores with relation to par from the second round of the Safeway Classic, played Aug. 25 at the par-72, 6,397-yard Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, Ore. (Note: a-amateur):

1. Lorena Ochoa	67-66--133		-11
2. Sophie Gustafson	66-68--134		-10
3. Ji-Young Oh	66-71--137		-7
3. Mhairi McKay	70-67--137		-7
5. Natalie Gulbis	71-68--139		-5
5. Diana D'Alessio	70-69--139		-5
7. Minea Blomqvist	70-70--140		-4
7. Lindsey Wright	70-70--140		-4
7. Angela Stanford	68-72--140		-4
7. Christina Kim	69-71--140		-4
7. Laura Diaz	71-69--140		-4
7. Shi Hyun Ahn	73-67--140		-4
13. Katherine Hull	72-69--141		-3
13. Mi Hyun Kim	71-70--141		-3
13. Sarah Lee	69-72--141		-3
13. Beth Bader	70-71--141		-3
17. Gloria Park	72-70--142		-2
17. Joo Mi Kim	70-72--142		-2
17. Katie Futcher	72-70--142		-2
20. Juli Inkster	75-68--143		-1
20. Julieta Granada	74-69--143		-1
20. Kris Tamulis	72-71--143		-1
20. Il Mi Chung	72-71--143		-1
20. Sherri Turner	72-71--143		-1
20. Brittany Lang	72-71--143		-1
20. Morgan Pressel	75-68--143		-1
20. Stephanie Louden	73-70--143		-1
28. Soo-Yun Kang	75-69--144		E
28. Nancy Scranton	75-69--144		E
28. Clarissa Childs	73-71--144		E
28. Giulia Sergas	72-72--144		E
28. Reilley Rankin	72-72--144		E
28. Wendy Ward	72-72--144		E
28. Heather Young	70-74--144		E
28. Karrie Webb	70-74--144		E
28. Lorie Kane	71-73--144		E
28. Jane Park	72-72--144		E
28. a-Tiffany Joh	74-70--144		E
28. Paula Creamer	73-71--144		E
40. Song-Hee Kim	74-71--145	+	1
40. Paige Mackenzie	73-72--145	+	1
40. Michelle Ellis	73-72--145	+	1
40. Sun Young Yoo	73-72--145	+	1
40. Charlotte Mayorkas	76-69--145	+	1
40. Jeong Jang	73-72--145	+	1
40. Jacqueline Yang	69-76--145	+	1
40. Laura Davies	77-68--145	+	1
40. Dawn Coe-Jones	71-74--145	+	1
40. Hye Jung Choi	71-74--145	+	1
40. Young Jo	73-72--145	+	1
40. Meena Lee	73-72--145	+	1
40. In-Bee Park	73-72--145	+	1
40. Jin Joo Hong	73-72--145	+	1
40. Cristie Kerr	73-72--145	+	1
55. Young Kim	74-72--146	+	2
55. Leta Lindley	68-78--146	+	2
55. Silvia Cavalleri	70-76--146	+	2
55. Kyeong Bae	70-76--146	+	2
55. A.J. Eathorne	71-75--146	+	2
55. Se Ri Pak	72-74--146	+	2
55. Becky Morgan	74-72--146	+	2
55. Angela Park	74-72--146	+	2
63. Na Ri Kim	75-72--147	+	3
63. Liselotte Neumann	73-74--147	+	3
63. Pat Hurst	77-70--147	+	3
63. Lisa Fernandes	72-75--147	+	3
63. Meg Mallon	79-68--147	+	3
63. Dorothy Delasin	76-71--147	+	3
63. Jill McGill	75-72--147	+	3
70. Amy Hung	75-73--148	+	4
70. Yu Ping Lin	75-73--148	+	4
70. In-Kyung Kim	74-74--148	+	4
70. Patricia Meunier-Lebouc	72-76--148	+	4
70. Nicole Castrale	77-71--148	+	4
70. Eva Dahllof	78-70--148	+	4
70. Veronica Zorzi	77-71--148	+	4
70. Erica Blasberg	73-75--148	+	4
70. Seon Hwa Lee	75-73--148	+	4
70. Tina Barrett	73-75--148	+	4
70. Kristy McPherson	74-74--148	+	4
• • •
Missed the cut
81. Karen Stupples	75-74--149	+	5
81. Tracy Hanson	75-74--149	+	5
81. Aree Song	75-74--149	+	5
81. Rachel Hetherington	76-73--149	+	5
81. Virada Nirapathpongporn	76-73--149	+	5
81. Joanne Morley	72-77--149	+	5
81. Christa Johnson	77-72--149	+	5
81. Carri Wood	76-73--149	+	5
81. Becky Iverson	73-76--149	+	5
90. Sae-Hee Son	75-75--150	+	6
90. Lee Ann Walker-Cooper	73-77--150	+	6
90. Mikaela Parmlid	76-74--150	+	6
90. Brandie Burton	77-73--150	+	6
90. Kim Hall	78-72--150	+	6
90. Meredith Duncan	77-73--150	+	6
90. Kim Williams	76-74--150	+	6
90. Soo Young Moon	73-77--150	+	6
90. Siew-Ai Lim	74-76--150	+	6
90. Teresa Lu	74-76--150	+	6
100. Na On Min	74-77--151	+	7
100. Kristi Albers	76-75--151	+	7
100. Allison Hanna-Williams	76-75--151	+	7
100. Alena Sharp	77-74--151	+	7
100. Vicki Goetze-Ackerman	78-73--151	+	7
100. Jin Young Pak	80-71--151	+	7
100. Karine Icher	81-70--151	+	7
100. Kate Golden	76-75--151	+	7
100. Jamie Hullett	75-76--151	+	7
100. Sung Ah Yim	74-77--151	+	7
100. Meaghan Francella	74-77--151	+	7
100. Miriam Nagl	74-77--151	+	7
100. Michelle McGann	74-77--151	+	7
113. Jimin Kang	73-79--152	+	8
113. Brooke Tull	72-80--152	+	8
113. Moira Dunn	77-75--152	+	8
113. Nina Reis	81-71--152	+	8
117. Marcy Hart	75-78--153	+	9
117. Kelly Cap	76-77--153	+	9
117. Charlotta Sorenstam	80-73--153	+	9
117. Heather Daly-Donofrio	81-72--153	+	9
117. Carin Koch	78-75--153	+	9
117. Dina Ammaccapane	77-76--153	+	9
117. Birdie Kim	77-76--153	+	9
117. Aram Cho	75-78--153	+	9
117. Ai Miyazato	74-79--153	+	9
126. Michelle Wie	79-75--154	+	10
127. Danielle Downey	75-80--155	+	11
128. Won Lee	79-77--156	+	12
128. Grace Park	80-76--156	+	12
128. Christi Cano	80-76--156	+	12
128. Johanna Head	81-75--156	+	12
128. Janice Moodie	81-75--156	+	12
128. Sarah Lynn Sargent	80-76--156	+	12
128. Wendy Doolan	78-78--156	+	12
135. Kim Saiki-Maloney	83-74--157	+	13
135. Jeanne Cho-Hunicke	81-76--157	+	13
135. Cindy Rarick	77-80--157	+	13
135. Kelli Kuehne	73-84--157	+	13
139. Nancy Lopez	82-91--173	+	29
WD. Jee Young Lee
WD. Irene Cho	80-WD
WD. Riko Higashio	80-WD
WD. Jenna Daniels	82-WD
WD. Jennifer Rosales	82-WD

Posted: 8/25/2007

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