Jean Bartholomew's caddie gave her an alarm clock as a birthday present before the Corning Classic. Great gift idea.

Bartholomew hit the back nine at 8:40 a.m. Friday, six strokes behind the leaders. By noon she had the lead, thanks to a 64 that left her at 7-under 137 for two rounds, and nobody caught her.

"Oversleeping is something you do only once in your career," said Bartholomew, whose caddie, Jeff de Coen, got the message across.

Bartholomew had overslept and missed her flight to Daytona Beach, Fla., for the start of the Titleholders Championship on May 6-9.

She wanted to throw the clock out the window when it went off Friday, but it got her to the tee on time for the second round of the wide-open Corning.

Kelli Kuehne birdied the 18th hole for a 69 and was tied for second at 6 under with Jamie Hullett, who grew up playing against Kuehne in Texas. Hullett shot a 66.

First-round leaders Kathryn Marshall, Sherri Turner and Denise Killeen were two strokes off the lead along with Rosie Jones and Cathy Johnston-Forbes.

Bartholomew climbed onto the leaderboard quickly with four straight birdies on the short and narrow 6,062-yard Corning Country Club course. She tied the tournament record of 31 for the back nine, set by Patty Sheehan in 1993.

An eagle on No. 6 and a bogey on 8 left her just one stroke off the tournament-best round of 63 shared by Turner and Sheehan.

Bartholomew, 33rd on the money list after 11 tournaments this year, is hot after earning just $19,103 in 1998.

She shot a 63 and finished third at the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship in Stockbridge Ga., April 23-25. She also had a 66 in the second round at the Myrtle Beach Classic a week later.

But Bartholomew, in her fourth year on the tour at 32, has yet to put enough good rounds together for a win. With two rounds left, she's in position to do so.

Bartholomew started the day 1 over, but continued the momentum she built with birdies on her last two holes in Thursday's first round.

At times it seemed Bartholomew couldn't miss. She had a good drive on No. 5. "But then I hit a 4-iron terribly, really high up in the wind and right and short."

But she chipped within a foot and a birdie. "I hit some good chips today," she said.

Bartholomew's best shot came on the par-4 6th, when she holed a 9-iron through trees from 139 yards for an eagle.

"It ticked a couple of trees and just rolled into the hole," she said. "It was just one of those things."

Kuehne, 22, in only her second year on the tour, started at 3 under and birdied five holes and bogeyed two. Her 9-iron on 18 left her with a 10-inch putt. She made 12-foot putts on Nos. 9 and 16.

A former All-America from the University of Texas, Kuehne carries a shiny 1967 quarter in honor of her fiance, Texas offensive tackle Jay Humphrey, who wears No. 67.

A diabetic and spokeswoman for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, Kuehne wears an insulin pump on her waste like a beeper.

"I checked my blood sugar on the 14th hole," she said. ``And I have food in my bag if I start to get shaky. I eat and keep going."

Hullett started even and birdied six holes, eagled one and bogeyed two. Her eagle came on the par-5 No. 2 when she chipped in from behind the green.

Staying near the top might be harder than getting there for the 23-year-old rookie playing in her fifth LPGA tournament.

"I'll go out tomorrow and try not to get too far ahead of myself," said Hullett, a former All-America at Texas A&M who made the cut at only one other LPGA tournament, the Sara Lee Classic May 14-16.