Kuehne moves into 2 shot lead

Kelli Kuehne birdied the first three holes Friday and went on to a 6-under 65 and a two-stroke lead after two rounds of the LPGA Big Apple Classic.

Chris Johnson matched the 65 to move into second at 6-under 136, but she went the other way from Kuehne, making birdies on the final three holes at Wykagyl Country Club.

Annika Sorenstam, who had a 66, and Hee-Won Han, who had a 67, were tied for third at 137.

Kuehne said the good start to a round is rare for her.

``It was awesome, but I haven't started out like that in a really long time,'' she said. ``Usually my best rounds start with a bogey, when I have to tell myself, `Come on, get going.' But to start with three solid birdies, that got me confident into the day.''

She sandwiched birdie putts of 5 and 15 feet on Nos. 1 and 3, both par-5s, around a 12-footer on the par-3 2nd. She added birdies at Nos. 8, 10 and 15 along the way and was never really in trouble as she posted her low round of the year.

Kuehne is coming off consecutive top 10 finishes, including a tie for seventh at the U.S. Open. Her only LPGA win -- the 1999 Corning Classic -- came in a three-week run where she was seventh, won and finished third in the Open.

``Those three weeks changed my career dramatically. I was really struggling,'' she said. ``I want to win and be the best in the world. It's not that easy. It takes a lot of work and a lot of time. I'm nowhere that goal yet.''

Kuehne is 19th on the money list this year with $282,747, a far cry from Johnson's total of $41,416, which has her in 98th place.

But they had the same score Friday and are 1-2 on the leaderboard.

Johnson had seven birdies, all on putts of 10 feet or less. Her closing trio included two of the tap-in variety, the first on the 164-yard 16th when her tee shot nearly went in, and on the par-5, 481-yard 18th when she two-putted from 40 feet.

She credits some of the success to a new driver she started using last week.

``I'm hitting shorter clubs in than other players and that's always a benefit,'' said Johnson, who used a 7-iron, 9-iron or pitching wedge into the greens for all seven of the birdies except 16 and 18.

Johnson, who last won on tour in 1997 when one of her victories was in the LPGA Championship, sounded like a golfer who followed an opening 71 with a 65 when she was asked about the uneven greens and swirling winds that bothered most of the players.

``What bumps, what wind?'' she said with a laugh.

Sorenstam's strategy was affected by the greens.

``Today, I figured I'd hit it hard and hopefully it would hold the line,'' she said of her putting technique. ``I've been putting good, sometimes they go and sometimes they don't. Today I figured if I hit it closer, they would be easier to make.''

Only one her birdies came on a putt longer than 11 feet, a 16-footer on No. 11.

Han, the LPGA's rookie of the year in 2001, also kept the birdie putts on the short side, making three of her four from inside 5 feet.

Beth Daniel also shot a 65 Friday and was tied at 4-under 138 with Gloria Park (67), Kim Saiki (67) and Sherri Steinhauer (69).

Nancy Scranton had a 68 and was at 139 with Karrie Webb, who had a 69.

First-round co-leaders Kathryn Marshall and Minny Yeo, who opened with 68s, both struggled Friday. Marshall had a 76 and was at 2-over 144, one shot better than the cut, while Yeo had an 80.

Juli Inkster, who had taken two weeks off following her victory in the U.S. Open, had a 72 Friday for a 5-over 147 total.

The tournament is sponsored by Sybase and had a purse of $950,000 with$142,500 going to the winner.

Divots

Defending champion Rosie Jones had a 5-under 67 Friday and was at even par after two rounds. ... Temperatures in the high 60s and a constant breeze under cloudy skies made it a bit cool for the gallery. One credit card company was giving away an LPGA beach towel if you signed up at their booth. Several people did and the gifts quickly became LPGA beach blankets. ... Scranton, who led after the first round last year with a 64, had a wild 68. She had two eagles, five birdies, five pars and six bogeys Friday. Her eagles came at the par-5 15th, on a 5-foot putt, and the par-4 5th, when she holed a 9-iron from130 yards. They were her first eagles of the year.

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