ASSOCIATED PRESS
Michelle Wie watched her tee shot on the eighth hole during the second round of the Wegmans LPGA at Locust Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., yesterday. Wie carded her second straight 1-under-par 71 to go 2 under for the tournament. She trails Morgan Pressel, the youngest major winner in LPGA Tour history, by eight shots heading into today's third round.
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Pressel leaves Wie behind at Wegmans LPGA
Associated Press
ROCHESTER, N.Y. » Morgan Pressel, intensifying her practice routines as she moves beyond her teens, shot a 7-under 65 yesterday to take a one-stroke lead over Suzann Pettersen midway through the Wegmans LPGA.
"You always have to be working ... harder because otherwise you are going to be passed pretty quickly out here," Pressel, the youngest major winner in LPGA Tour history, said after a second bogey-free round broke open a leaderboard logjam and got her to 10-under 134.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Morgan Pressel reacted to missing a birdie putt on the 17th green during the second round yesterday.
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Hawaii's Michelle Wie, who is ranked 200th in the world and got in the tournament on a sponsor's exemption, matched her opening-round 71 to join 16 other players at 2 under, including defending champion Lorena Ochoa.
Annika Sorenstam (72), who is stepping away from the tour at the end of the season, finished her second round at 1 over and narrowly avoided being cut out of weekend play for the first time in 40 events dating to May 2006.
Pettersen, a five-time tour winner last year, chipped in for birdie on No. 9 - her last hole - to match Pressel's 65 and get to 9 under.
"I'm making a few adjustments right now to give myself ... a bit more consistency," the Norwegian star said. "I've been working hard on my game and not trying to get too hard on myself."
Inbee Park, who tied for fourth at the U.S. Women's Open in her rookie year in 2007, finished with a bogey to drop into third place at 8 under alongside Japan's Ai Miyazato (68). Both had been lodged in a seven-way tie for the lead after Thursday's opening round.
Christina Kim (67) and Cristie Kerr (70) were two shots back at 6 under.
"I've worked very hard on my game to get to this point," said Kerr, preparing for her title defense in the U.S. Women's Open next week. "It's nice that it's starting to peak a little bit ... going into the U.S. Open."
Vicky Hurst missed the cut with rounds of 77 and 71 after winning the Michelob Ultra Duramed Futures Players Championship tomorrow for her second Futures Tour victory of the year. She turned 18 on Thursday.
Pressel, who turned 20 four weeks ago, had to battle early on to tame the tricky, tree-lined Locust Hill course, sinking 10-foot and 18-foot putts on Nos. 3 and 4 to save par. She ran up five of her six birdies on the back nine, her laserlike irons setting up an array of chances inside 10 feet.
"I started hitting good shots and then was just missing the putts," she said. "I finally got a few to go in."