Sorenstam and Burton share lead

An overcast day, a packed leaderboard and back-breaking tension just made Annika Sorenstam smile.

"It was really fun. I haven't smiled that much on the golf course in a long time," Sorenstam said after she and Brandie Burton shot 7-under-par 65s Saturday to share the lead heading into the final round of the Firstar LPGA Classic.

"It's fun when you play well," said Sorenstam, who has 13 birdies and no bogeys in the first two rounds. "Things haven't really gone my way the last few months, although my record has been pretty good. I think it's all paying off now. I've had two days of super golf. I have a lot to smile about."

Along with first-round leader Mi Hyun Kim and her longtime rival Karrie Webb, Sorenstam and Burton jousted for and traded the lead all day. Eight combinations of the foursome led at one point or another, with only Kim and Burton holding the lead by themselves.

Burton, who missed all the 1999 season with a shoulder injury, was feeling every bit as upbeat as Sorenstam.

"It was fun," Burton said. "I feel good. That's what you try to do, get yourself in contention to win golf tournaments. I hope to go out tomorrow and fire at the hole and make the putts like I did today."

Sorenstam and Burton, each of whom shot 66 in the opening round at the Country Club of the North, now stand at 13-under 131, matching the tournament record set by Meg Mallon two years ago.

After a 69, first-round leader Kim was alone in second at 12 under, followed by Webb, who was another shot back after two late bogeys left her with a 68.

The top four flirted with the LPGA record for lowest 36-hole score in relation to par. Each had gotten to 12 under with six holes remaining, but weren't unable to threaten Michelle McGann's mark of 16 under through the first two rounds of the 1999 Sara Lee Classic.

Sorenstam climbed into a tie for the lead with Webb and Kim by birdieing the par-5 15th after chipping to 8 feet.

"I'm playing super golf right now. I'd like to go back out and continue my round, that's how good I'm playing," Sorenstam said. "It's going to be a shootout tomorrow, but it will be a lot of fun."

Kim bogeyed the next hole, hooking a 7-iron left of the green and then missing a 4-foot par putt. Webb dropped back with consecutive bogeys at the 16th and 17th holes, both times failing to get up and down after missing the green with a middle-iron approach.

Webb, who has already won four tournaments this year, said parts of her game were "stale," but added it still wasn't too late to regroup.

"It's only Saturday, so we've got a long way to go," she said. "I'm just disappointed with the way I finished. I had a two-putt for birdie on 15 and made par, then I bogeyed 16 and 17. But there are plenty of birdies out there, so hopefully I can grab some tomorrow."

Kim played in the same threesome with Webb and Sorenstam, who between them have captured the last five LPGA money titles.

"It was an honor to play with the two greatest pro players of modern times," Kim said through an interpreter.

Burton pulled even with Sorenstam by holing a 20-footer for birdie at the 17th.

Even though her swing and her game appear to be back, she said she still has concerns about playing with a tournament hanging in the balance.

"I'm maybe more nervous than I remember being in the past," said Burton, who hasn't won since taking the du Maurier Classic two years ago. "I've been in contention in a couple of tournaments this year and the butterflies were beating a little faster than usual. You just have to get back in there. I need the confidence that comes with experiencing being on top again."

She took sole possession of the lead with a run of three straight birdies starting at the sixth. Her only slip came at the par-4 12th, where she three-putted from the front edge of the green.

Sorenstam's seven birdies included a near ace on the 149-yard eighth hole, with her 8-iron shot stopping 2 inches from the cup. Playing to the crowd, she pretended to plumb-bob the tap-in.

The only other player in double figures under par was Christie Kerr - and she had to hole a 158-yard 6-iron on the final hole. She raised her arms and jumped in the air after the ball took three bounces and dropped into the cup, closing out a 66 that put her at 10-under 134.

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