Ochoa & Hurst lead into the weekend

Lorena Ochoa gets a second chance to play as a co-leader.

Ochoa shot a 5-under 67 Friday and shared a one-stroke lead with Pat Hurst in the weather-delayed second round of the Franklin American Mortgage Championship.

Play was called because of darkness Friday night with 19 golfers still on the course.

Last week, Ochoa finished tied for second, two strokes behind winner Se Ri Pak despite sharing the third-round lead at the Michelob Ultra Open. The native of Mexico said she learned she must be aggressive instead of cautiously protecting of her lead.

"I need to try and go for it, go straight for the pin and make a lot of birdies out there. Last week, I played a little bit too conservatively in the last round," said Ochoa, the 2003 rookie of the year who is looking for her first career victory.

"You've got to play good yourself and not wait for others to make mistakes, so I just need to be confident with my game and be aggressive.

Ochoa, who had six birdies and a bogey Friday, was at round for a 7-under 137 total that tied her with Hurst who just missed birdie putts on her final two holes to finish with six birdies and two bogeys on a Legends Club course where she won in 2000.

Lorena Ochoa posted a 5-under 67 on Friday. (Getty Images)
"I feel pretty comfortable out here," Hurst said. "I feel like I am in good position looking into the weekend."

First-round leader Nancy Scranton, Dorothy Delasin and Wendy Ward were tied for third at 138.

Scranton lipped out a par putt on her final hole to cap a 72. Delasin closed a 67 by chipping past the pin and then knocking a par putt 4 feet past the hole.

Ward, who had a 70, missed birdie putts of 6, 7 and 12 feet over her final four holes. Wendy Doolan (70) and Stacy Prammanasudh (72) were at 139.

Golfers struggled with winds that gusted up to 25 mph until heavy rains stopped play for 1 hour, 40 minutes in the late afternoon.

Ochoa started four strokes off the lead and parred her first four holes. She hit 12 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens while needing only 29 putts.

An 8-iron to 10 feet on No. 5 set up her first birdie, and she added three more over the next four holes with her longest putt a 15-footer on the par-4 8th. Her lone bogey came on No. 11 when she hit into the left rough and put a 9-iron over the green and three-putted.

She hit a 51-degree wedge to 3 feet on the par-5 14th for birdie and took the lead on 16 as she hit a 7-iron to 13 feet and made the birdie putt. Ochoa avoided dropping a shot on the par-5 18th despite two shots into the left rough by putting her third shot past the pin.

"It was important for me to catch up ... and be in a good position," she said.

Hurst, whose best finish was a tie for eighth last week, always plays well here. She could have had the lead to herself if not for bogeys on two holes playing into the wind -- the par-3 16th and the par-4 2nd.

The second bogey came after she had grabbed a share of the lead with Scranton, and she rebounded on the par-5 7th as she used a 3-wood to the green and two-putted for birdie.

Ward expects a chase to the end with everyone bunched up.

"This is a birdie golf course," she said. "Conditions like this make it pretty tough, but I would say 16 out of 18 of the holes are birdie holes easily."

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