Meg Mallon maintains lead

After having everything go her way on the golf course lately, Meg Mallon showed she's also capable of responding to adversity.

Mallon was resilient -- overcoming a shot that struck a tree branch and led to one of her two bogeys -- in a 2-under 70 Friday that kept her in the lead after the second round of the Canadian Women's Open.

Mallon, coming off last week's win at the U.S. Women's Open, was at 9-under 135, a stroke ahead of Lorena Ochoa, who had a second-round 67. Defending champion Beth Daniel (68), Gloria Park (70), Dawn Coe-Jones (69) and rookie Aree Song (66) were tied for third at 137, a stroke ahead of Nancy Scranton, who had a second-round (69).

Mi Hyun Kim, fifth on the LPGA money list this season, had a 70 and was in a group of five four shots off lead in the $1.3 million event being held at Legends on the Niagara.

"It was a good test," Mallon said. "I was just happy that I could develop some sort of rhythm out there with a round that absolutely had no momentum whatsoever."

Mallon won for the U.S. Women's Open for the second time when she closed with a 6-under 65, the best final round by a champion in tournament history.

She carried that momentum north of the border with a bogey-free 65 that gave her a two-stroke lead after the first round before showing signs of fatigue.

Mallon's troubles began on the par-4 12th, her third hole, when her approach shot landed in a front bunker and she two-putted from 15 feet.

The bogey ended her streak at 45 holes at par or better.

Mallon compounded her problems when she bogeyed 13 after hooking her tee shot into the rough. She then knocked her second shot off a branch of a dead tree, and was fortunate when her ball bounced onto the fairway about 4 yards short of a creek.

Mallon finally settled down, getting her first birdie on 17 with an 18-foot putt. She added three more on her back nine, capped by a 10-footer on No. 8.

It didn't help Mallon that her group was down to a twosome when Soo-Yun Kang withdrew because of an injury before the round began. The lack of a third player led to several long waits on the fairway for Mallon and Laura Diaz.

"It was painful," Mallon said. "The hardest part of the whole day was just keeping concentration."

Mallon is 19 under over her last four rounds of competition.

Catching Mallon -- who won the Canadian Open in 2000 and 2002 -- is going to be a test.

"She's a very impressive player, when she's on she's on," Ochoa said. "But I'm feeling good. I know I can win any tournament I play."

Ochoa had the best chance of catching Mallon before three-putting from 15 feet for bogey on 17. She is sixth on the LPGA money list with eight top-10 finishes, including her first career victory at the Franklin American Mortgage Championship in May.

Coe-Jones leads the native contingent in attempting to become the first Canadian to win the event since Jocelyne Bourassa in 1973, the tournament's first year.

"Meg's not going to back down," Coe-Jones said. "I think somebody's going to have to go out and shoot two low scores to win. But the beauty of it is that this course is in such great shape that those scores are out there."

Song made the biggest move of the day among the leaders with a round that featured nine birdies and three bogeys.

Her only disappointment is that her twin sister Naree, a member of the Futures Tour, didn't make the cut with an 8-over 152. The two played only once this season, at the Sybase Classic in May, in which Aree finished in a tie for 59th and Naree in a tie for 71st.

Daniel, the 47-year-old Hall of Famer, is enjoying a sudden resurgence after a tough season in which her best finish in 10 events was a tie for 22nd.

"Finally, I'm in contention this year," Daniel said. "Yeah, I'm excited."

Earlier this week, Daniel suggested she would consider retiring if her struggles continued.

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