Inkster takes lead into the weekend

Hall of Famer Juli Inkster, looking to extend to her streak of winning a tournament to eight years, shot a 5-under 66 Friday and took a one-stroke lead over Christina Kim after two rounds of the LPGA Longs Drugs Challenge.

Inkster, a two-time winner of the 9-year-old tournament, was at 10-under 132 after her seven-birdie, two-bogey round.

"Overall, I played well today," said Inkster, who has won at least one LPGA tournament every year since 1997. "Even on my bogeys, I was in the fairway and had my chances. I hit the ball well."

Kim, a non-winner in her second LPGA season, held a one-stroke lead after an opening 64. She began her second-round 69 with 13 straight pars, bogeyed 14 and then birdied three of the final four holes.

"I hit nearly every fairway, so it was fairway, two putts, fairway, two putts," Kim said. "I hit the ball very good. I hit some monster drives. But it was frustrating. Nothing was happening for a while. It was boring and routine."

Five players, including Hall of Famer Karrie Webb, were at 134. Also two strokes out of the lead were Angela Stanford (65), Leta Lindley (67), Hee-Won Han, who won last week's Safeway Classic (67), and Michelle Estill (68). Stanford's round was Friday's low.

Defending champion Helen Alfredsson shot a 77, 10 strokes higher than her opening round, and her 144 total missed the cut by one stroke.

Webb, seeking her first win of the season, birdied three of her last four holes in a 66.

Webb, second on the all-time career earnings list with more than $9.5 million, has won at least one LPGA event for eight consecutive seasons.

Inkster, a winner of 30 LPGA tournaments, including seven majors, has four top 10 finishes this season. But a tie for second in the Michelob Ultra Classic in May is her best finish this season.

"Realistically, I haven't given myself a chance to win," said Inkster, who joined the LPGA Hall of Fame in 1999. "It's about ball-striking and I am usually a good ball-striker. I haven't been this year, but I've been coming around since the last two rounds (last week) in Portland."

Inkster is 13th on the LPGA money list with $522,128. She's third on the all-time money list with more than $9.2 million and has finished among the top 10 money leaders in six of the last seven years.

Estill, who took six months off last season and has worked for several years in the offseason in retail, construction, janitorial and maintenance jobs, held an early second-round lead at 9 under after a 12-foot birdie on No. 13, but she bogeyed the next two holes.

Lindley, who surged toward the lead but double-bogeyed 18 in the first round, concluded her second round with a 15-foot birdie on No. 9.

The $1 million tournament continues through Sunday with the winner earning $150,000.

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