Pepper & Jung-Yeon share halfway lead

Dottie Pepper stepped up her bid to become the third triple winner of the Kraft Nabisco Championship on Friday.

The 38-year-old American shared the second-round lead with South Korea's Lee Jung-Yeon after shooting a two-under-par 70 for a six-under total of 138 in the first women's major of the season.

Lee, 25, who was in the last group and finished her six-hour round in near darkness, fired a joint best of the day 69 at Mission Hills Country Club.

"I could just see the ball so I decided to finish," Lee told reporters. "But it was a really long day."

Her two playing partners, Nanci Bowen and Heather Daly-Donofrio, opted not to play the 18th hole because of the conditions.

Fourteen-year-old Hawaiian Michelle Wie, bidding to become the youngest winner of an LPGA Tour event, returned a level-par 72 in the tough, windy conditions to finish three-under on 141.

Seventeen-year-old South Korean Aree Song (73), who led overnight, and Australians Karrie Webb (71) and Wendy Doolan (69) were tied for third place on 139, one stroke ahead of American Rosie Jones.

World number one Annika Sorenstam of Sweden, another twice former champion, had a disappointing 76 to finish nine shots off the lead on three-over 147.

For Pepper, the champion in 1992 and 1999, it has been a harrowing couple of years as she has fought illness and injury.

She underwent shoulder surgery two years ago but the most recent problem was a serious sinus infection.

"It is only since the end of January that I have felt really well," said Pepper, who missed practically all of the last two seasons. "Really, I'm just happy to be healthy."

She traces her problems back to her win here five years ago and the traditional victory leap into the lake at the 18th.

"I was really ill afterwards and didn't play for four weeks," said Pepper, who is attempting to join Betsy King and Amy Alcott as triple champions of this event.

"I had a form of pneumonia and I was pretty sick."

Asked if she would leap into the lake this year, Pepper replied: "I hope I have that decision to make. But I'll probably jump in and worry about the antibiotics on Monday".

Wie tied for ninth a year ago and said she felt better equipped now to cope with the pressure.

"I've learned a lot since a year ago," said the big-hitting schoolgirl who missed the cut by one stroke when she played on the men's PGA Tour at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January.

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