Kim joins Webb to top leaderboard

Mi Hyun Kim found her touch a week ago at the Evian Masters. She shows no signs of losing it.

Kim shot a 5-under-par 67 on Friday at the LPGA Rochester International to move into a tie for the second-round lead with Australia's Karrie Webb at 8-under-par 136.

Webb, whose 64 on Thursday broke the record for the best opening round in the tournament's 26-year history, shot an even-par 72.

``She's coming off a second-place finish at Evian, and even though we had to travel from France back here, she's playing very confident right now,'' Kim's caddie, Worth Blackwelder, said. ``She feels good about her game, and this course sets up well for her because it's tight off the tee. She's a very straight hitter and she's got a wonderful imagination around the greens.''

That was never more apparent than on No. 7, a 171-yard par-3. When her tee shot left her on the fringe 35 feet from the pin, Kim coolly made a putt that broke nearly 10 feet on the way in.

Still, Kim felt the round could have been better because she needed 30 putts to complete it.

``The greens are bumpy, and I couldn't read the lines -- even on 3-foot putts and 4-foot putts,'' said the 25-year-old native of South Korea, who has gone into the 60s in five of her last six rounds. ``I missed a lot of birdie chances.''

That was about all she missed. Kim hit 13 of 14 fairways and reached 16 greens in regulation. Webb hit only nine fairways and made 10 greens in regulation, a substantial dropoff from the first round (12-of-14 FW, 14-of-18 GIR).

``I just really didn't hit the ball as well. That was my biggest struggle,'' said Webb, who is winless on tour this year. ``I didn't give myself as good birdie opportunities. The greens are bumpy, but I don't think they're any more than yesterday. The only difference in the course is it's dried out a lot more. The greens are not spinning as much, and there was quite a big adjustment in that part of the game today.''

Hall of Famer Beth Daniel, who has never won here, made the adjustment. She moved into contention with a bogey-free 68 that put her just two shots behind.

``I played pretty steady,'' said Daniel, who finished second two weeks ago in the LPGA Championship. ``You just try to get yourself in a position where you might have a chance to make a run on the weekend. Obviously, I feel pretty good about how I've been playing.''

Defending champion Laura Davies of England does, too. She had a 69 despite starting with two bogeys and was in a three-way tie at 4-under 140 with Meg Mallon and Gloria Park.

``It was a horrible start, but it was a very good round,'' said Davies, who needed just 24 putts to complete the round. ``I just have to have a great weekend, perhaps be a little more aggressive.''

With the course drying out as the temperature soared to near 90, players didn't have to clean their balls between shots as they did Thursday.

Kim took advantage of her morning start, carding five birdies on a bogey-free round to pick up five shots. Webb, who played in the afternoon group, had two bogeys after a birdie on the front nine to drop to 7-under. She rallied with a birdie at the par-5 11th and then parred out.

The improving conditions didn't help Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez. She began the day with six straight pars but ended up 8-over on the final 12 holes and missed the cut with a 158 in what probably was her last appearance in a tournament she won three times in her heyday two decades ago.

The emotion of the moment was evident as she slowly walked toward the 18th green, brushing away a tear as the gallery gave her a warm applause.

``It was very emotional,'' Lopez said. ``I just appreciate the people here who have supported me for all these years.''

For most of the day, the players enjoyed the relative peace and quiet to which they're accustomed. The U.S. Navy's Blue Angels, who repeatedly strafed the skies over the Locust Hill Country Club course on Thursday as they practiced for a weekend air show nearby, weren't heard until late afternoon on Friday -- and only briefly -- after some prodding from tournament officials.

``I heard complaints,'' tournament coordinator Linda Hampton said. ``People were questioning why they were practicing over the course and the way they were practicing. Prior to the tournament, we asked them not to. We were assured they wouldn't, but obviously they do what they want.''

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