Matthew aces way into lead

Scotland's Catriona Matthew aced the 215-yard 15th hole on Friday on her way to a seven-under 65 and a two-shot lead after 36 holes of the Women's British Open. Matthew stands at nine-under- par 135 and is ahead of first-round leader Janice Moodie, Mi Hyun Kim and Trish Johnson.

Players completed their first rounds early Friday as play was suspended due to darkness Thursday after a three-hour rain delay at Sunningdale Golf Club.

Matthew trailed the trio at seven-under when she stepped up to the par-three 15th. She took out a seven-wood and hit it in front of the green where the ball took a big hop and bounced into the cup for an ace and a one-stroke edge.

"I just got a good bounce and it popped into the hole," said Matthew, who led by two after sinking a three-foot birdie putt on 18. "At the time I realized I had taken the lead, but I was not thinking that. I was just pleased I had a hole-in-one."

Karrie Webb rebounded from a disappointing opening-round 74 with a five-under 67 on Friday. She carded five birdies to no bogeys and jumped into a tie for 11th at three-under par.

Annika Sorenstam, who played in the Battle at Bighorn with Webb on Monday night, struggled in round two. She opened with a pair of birdies but went plus-four from there for a two-over 74 and a share of 39th at even-par 144.

Kim also fired a 65 on Friday, thanks to seven birdies, including a pair of six-footers at 16 and 18.

"I love this course," said Kim, who has lost two playoffs this season. "This is my first time to England. I can play very aggressive and can hit drivers everywhere. I have a lot of eagle chances."

Moodie, who took the first-round lead with a birdie at the 17th hole on Friday morning, had sole possession of the lead at nine-under but faltered down the stretch. She three-putted from 25 feet at the 17th green and finished with another bogey at the closing hole when she failed to get up and down from a greenside bunker.

"I played really steady but bogeyed the last two holes," said Moodie, who tied for second at the first major of the season, the Nabisco Championship. "But all in all I'm very, very happy and very pleased."

Johnson also had a chance to keep the lead to herself but missed a four-foot par save at the last and posted a second-round 67. Matthew opened with a pair of birdies from inside 10 feet then ran home a six-foot birdie at No. 9 for a front-nine 33.

She added an eight-foot birdie putt at 10 but dropped her first stroke of the day at No. 12. Matthew missed the green right with a five-iron and then hit a poor chip to the back of the green where she two-putted for bogey.

Matthew made the lost shot up at 14 when she drained a six-foot birdie after she chipped close at the par-five hole.

The 31-year-old has the 36-hole lead in a major but her strategy will not change over the weekend.

"I think you just have to try and birdie the par-fives," said Matthew, who won this year's Hawaiian Ladies Open. "I think you still have to play pretty aggressively. There is potentially a lot of low scores out there."

One player who went low on Friday was 20-year-old European Tour rookie Suzann Pettersen. She fired an eight-under 64, missing Webb's British Open record by one shot and is now two-under for the championship.

Johanna Head is alone in fifth at six-under, followed by the highest American in the field, Rosie Jones, who sits at minus-five.

Local favorite Laura Davies, who will be eligible for the LPGA Hall of Fame with a win this week, carded a one-over 73 in the second round and fell to three-under 141 for the championship.

The 36-hole cut fell at two-over 146. Two-time former champion Sherri Steinhauer was among the notable players who failed to qualify for the weekend. She carded a pair of 75s to miss the cut by four shots.

Americans Juli Inkster and Dottie Pepper also missed the cut, each by two shots.

This is the first year the Women's British Open is being competed as a major championship. It replaced the du Maurier Classic as the LPGA's fourth major.

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