Trio share halfway lead

Perhaps this is the week where playing steady instead of spectacular will be enough for Catriona Matthew.

Matthew ignored difficult conditions Friday and shot her second straight 2-under-par 70 to gain a share of the lead midway through the Bank of Montreal Canadian Women's Open.

A native of Scotland, Matthew joined the LPGA Tour in 1995 and did not break through for a victory until last year, when she won the Hawaiian Ladies Open. She finished 10th on the money list in 2001 and is 29th this year.

"I've been really pretty steady this year," Matthew said. "I haven't really had any low rounds. But I've been playing well all year, just haven't holed many putts. So I'm just trying to stay patient and maybe one of these weeks, maybe this week, the putts will drop and I'll be right up there."

The threat of rain loomed over the 6,435-yard Sumerlea Golf and Country Club course for most of the afternoon, creating sticky conditions, while winds played havoc with scores. Matthew muddled through with four birdies and two bogeys for another 70, giving her a share of the lead with Michelle Ellis and Gloria Park.

"It was a lot windier out there today (than Thursday)," Matthew said. "Yesterday was probably an easier 70 (and) could have been lower. But today, that was probably as good as I could have down out there. It was pretty tough in the wind."

Just 11 players managed under-par rounds and only four have been in red numbers for both days of the four-round tournament. Ellis and Park were among both groups as each followed 69s with 71s.

"It's just so much concentration for four or five hours, trying to guess wind, estimate (yardage) numbers and things like that," Ellis said. "That's why the scores aren't low for so many people."

One of those was first-round leader Kate Golden. Playing in a group with Matthew, she struggled to a 2-over 74 and is at 3-under 141, one shot off the pace.

"You get hot. You just have to drink a lot of water," said Golden, a native of Houston. "We have had a couple of really terrible weeks. This is pretty toasty, but not too bad."

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