ASSOCIATED PRESS Reilley Rankin, paired with Michelle Wie, shot a 6-under 66 yesterday to move into contention at the SBS Open.

Rankin feeds off
Wie’s gallery

Reilley Rankin had Michelle Wie right where she wanted her -- as her playing partner.

While the world waits to see if Wie can win her first LPGA Tour event practically in her own backyard, Rankin stole some of her thunder during yesterday's second round of the $1 million SBS Open.

The 25-year-old used the large gallery following Wie to fuel a 6-under 66 and move near the top of the leaderboard in the first full-field event on tour. The second-year pro from Hilton Head, S.C., had a decent rookie campaign, earning $162,987 in 2004, good enough for 65th on the money list.

But if you put her in an LPGA lineup, only family and friends would be able to pick her out.

"I was excited when I saw the pairing because I had never played with Beth Daniel, either," Rankin said. "I felt like a midget -- height-wise. But I was excited because I knew there would be a gallery. I enjoyed it. The crowd was great. They were supportive and energetic. You could feed off of them, too."

An outstanding collegiate golfer at Georgia, Rankin's best finish on tour was a tie for eighth at last year's Takefuji Classic in Las Vegas. She just missed her career low of 65 that she shot during the second round of the Wendy's Championship for Children.

Yesterday, her putter proved to be her best friend. She needed only 24 putts, with several of those coming from 30 feet or more for birdie. Perhaps the best one occurred at the par-4 seventh. Just off the back of the green, Rankin rammed it home from 40 feet and thanked the pin later for being cooperative.

"The putt was a little bit up the fringe," Rankin said. "I have a tendency when I putt from there to hit it a little too hard. So I asked my caddie to put the flag in. It hit the flag right in the middle. It probably would have gone 10, 15 feet by."

Fortunately for Rankin, the windy conditions didn't bother her. She said patience is a blessing when the wind and rain come and go as they did during her morning round. A deliberate player, Rankin tries to stay at her own pace. She doesn't like being rushed and she's careful not to fall too far behind.

And while she's never been in this position entering a final round on the LPGA Tour, she does have a history of knowing how to win. She was a three-time American Junior Golf Association All-American from 1995-97. Rankin was the 1997 Southeastern Conference freshman of the year and twice was that league's player of the year in 1997 and 1998.

A three-time All-American, perhaps her biggest accomplishment was overcoming a broken sternum and back in three places that she suffered after jumping off a cliff into a lake. After two years of rehabilitation, she helped lead Georgia to the 2001 NCAA championship.

"Being nervous isn't part of my routine," Rankin said when asked how she would deal with today's pressure. "I'll do the same routine."

Perrot on the fringe: It might be a bit of a stretch to consider Nicole Perrot as a legitimate contender to track down second-round leader Jennifer Rosales. Trailing by six shots entering today's final 18, Perrot made a dramatic move up the leaderboard yesterday with a hole-in-one at the par-3 13th.

She finished with a 3-under 69 for a two-day total of 141. It was the first hole-in-one on tour for the 21-year-old from Santiago, Chile. This is her third year on tour. She managed two wins on the Futures Tour, but missed the cut in her only LPGA Tour appearance last year.

Rarick to go: Cindy Rarick was all smiles in the Turtle Bay lobby as she accepted congratulations for making the cut. After opening with a 4-over 76, playing today seemed unlikely for the University of Hawaii graduate.

But the five-time winner on tour surprised everyone with a second-round 69 to find herself in a tie for 28th. The 45-year-old pro didn't make a cut in 13 appearances last year and had only three over the past two years. She has earned $2 million since joining the tour in 1985.

Allen DQd: It wasn't a very auspicious start for rookie Beth Allen. Playing in her first tournament, Allen signed a scorecard that had her making a five at the 18th, when in fact she had a six.

Not that it cost her any money. She had a 153 and would have missed the cut by five shots.

Inside the numbers: Thanks to the difficult conditions, the scoring average rose from a 73.810 on Thursday to a 74.327 yesterday.

The par-4 10th was the most difficult hole during yesterday's second round. The scoring average was a 4.511. There was only one birdie by Cristie Kerr, 70 pars, 52 bogeys and eight double bogeys.

For the second consecutive day, the par-5 third was the easiest with a scoring average of 4.580. There were two eagles by Rarick and Carin Koch, 63 birdies, 54 pars and 12 bogeys.