Sorenstam closes in on leaders

Rachel Teske and Jean Bartholomew climbed the leaderboard Saturday to share the second-round lead in the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic, with Annika Sorenstam a stroke behind.

Bartholomew tied the course record with an 8-under 64 to match Teske (65) at 9-under 135.

Sorenstam, who also had a 65, was a shot back along with Joanne Mills and Jennifer Rosales, who also matched the competitive record at Squaw Creek Country Club with a 64.

Three weeks after becoming the first woman in 58 years to play in a PGA Tour event, Sorenstam is chasing a third consecutive LPGA victory. She won the Kellogg-Keebler two weeks ago and took the LPGA Championship last week for her fifth major victory.

Sorenstam birdied the first three holes and then closed the front side with three more. She holed a 45-foot birdie putt at the second hole and left a 30-foot eagle putt at No. 8 just short.

She climbed from a tie for 19th after her opening 71 to sole possession of the lead, adding two more birdies on the backside to offset a three-putt bogey at the 14th hole.

But then the challengers started coming in.

Teske has also been on a roll, finished tied for third in last week's LPGA Championship. She birdied the second hole then strung together four in a row starting at the par-5 fifth. She had three more birdies on the back with her only slip also coming at the 14th.

Bartholomew righted herself after a triple-bogey in the first round. Angry about a ruling she disagreed with concerning a free drop out of casual water, she ended up four-putting the par-3 12th hole. She started her turnaround with birdies on the next two holes while shooting a first-round 71.

In the second round, she had four birdies on each nine without a bogey to come within a shot of the lowest round in her seven years on tour.

The course remained muddy after more than 2 inches of rain earlier in the week. The players were permitted to lift, clean and place. It was not uncommon to see mud caked on the players' backs from their followthroughs.

Rosales, fourth at last year's British Open, matched Sorenstam's six birdies on the front side while also shooting a 64.

She nearly aced her final hole, leaving a 9-iron on the 134-yard, par-3 ninth hole on the lip.

Mills, playing in the same group with childhood friend Teske, also played without a bogey in shooting a 66 to join the three-way tie at second.

The 1998 Giant Eagle winner, Se Ri Pak, shot a 66 to tie for sixth with Pat Hurst, who had her second 69.

First-round leader Minny Yeo followed a 68 with a 74 and was at 142. Defending champion Mi-Hyun Kim shot a 70 and was at 143.

Sorenstam has led going into the final round of all three of her LPGA victories this year, but has come out of the pack in 14 of her 45 career wins. A year ago, while winning 11 times, she came back in the final round to win four times.

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