Kerr moves four shots clear

Cristie Kerr rolled in five birdie putts and played a bogey-free round Friday on her way to a 5-under-par 67 and a four-shot lead in the Takefjui Classic.

Kerr moved to 8-under 136 through two rounds of the 54-hole tournament at the Las Vegas Country Club. She began the day in a four-way tie for the lead at 3 under.

After the second round, Heather Daly-Donofrio, Seol-An Jeon and Stacy Prammanasudh were tied for second at 140.

Swirling winds had made the Los Vegas Country Club course difficult the first day, but there was less wind during the second round and scores came down.

Daly-Donofrio had a 68, Jeon a 70 and Prammanasudh, who shared the first-round lead, had a 71.

Mi-Hyun Kim was at 141 after a 70. Danielle Ammaccapane, who is six months pregnant, shot a 70 and was in a group at 142 along with Juli Inkster (68) and Grace Park (70).

Kerr started on No. 10, went to 4 under with a short birdie putt on her first hole, made the turn at 35, then birdied four holes on her second nine.

She sank birdie putts of 7, 15 and 8 feet for three of those birdies, and just missed a 45-foot try for eagle on the par-5, 460-yard No. 9.

She grimaced when the eagle putt didn't go in, but smiled and waved to the gallery after she made the short putt for birdie.

"I was real calm the whole day and just tried to stay within myself," Kerr said. "Once I saw I had the lead, I said 'Let's see how far in front I can get.'"

Last year, Kerr finished in a three-way tie for second in the tournament.

"I am a year older. I have got more experience under my belt," Kerr said. "So I look at things a lot differently than I used to. I used to be in a huge rush to make birdies.

"Now I know I need to stay patient and just play as well as I can. That's all your can really do."

The 26-year-old Kerr has won just once since joining the tour in 1997, but her game has been improving and she is off to a solid start this year.

She finished second to Annika Sorenstam at Phoenix, tied for fifth in the Kraft Nabisco, and tied for 22nd last week in Los Angeles, where she had not made the cut in three previous tries.

"My game is good, I'm at a good place in my life, I'm happy," Kerr said.

Daly-Donofrio had seven birdies during her round.

"I hit the first 11 greens, and I drove the ball well enough where I was having short irons to the green, so I was able to hit it close to the hole," she said. "I feel like when I have good control over my long game, my putting falls in step."

Defending champion Candie Kung, whose Las Vegas victory last year was her first tour win, shot a second-round 74 after an opening 75 to just make the cut that came at 5 over.

Jackie Gallagher-Smith and rookie Nadina Taylor, the other two players who shared the first-round lead, both dropped back into the pack, Gallagher-Smith with a 74 and Taylor with a 79.

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