Juli Inkster overwhelmed a trio of opening-round leaders with a 5-under-par 67 and held a four-stroke lead following today's second round of the LPGA Tour's Longs Drugs Challenge.

Inkster fashioned a six-birdie, one-bogey round en route to an 8-under-par 136 total during an intermittently windy day at Twelve Bridges Golf Club.

Cindy Figg-Currier, one of the three who shared the first-round lead, moved into the lead at 6-under-par after nine holes. The 15-year LPGA veteran lost two strokes on the back nine en route to a 72. She has a 140 total and is in a four-way tie with A.J. Eathorne (68), Wendy Doolan (68) and Hiroma Kobayashi (72), another first-round leader.

Mhairi McKay (72), Rachel Hetherington (69), Michelle Estill (70) and Colleen Walker (70) were grouped at 3-under-par 141.

"I played really well; I hit every green and kept the ball in the fairway off the tee," said Inkster, an 18-time career tournament winner who earlier this season won the at Tucson and began the week fifth on the money list. "I played the par-5s well, and it's a tough golf course. Two- or three-under par is a good score out here."

A victory would move Inkster to within five points of qualifying for the LPGA Hall of Fame under its recently revamped qualification criteria. A victory is worth one point, with 27 points required for induction.

The tournament field was drastically diminished after the withdrawal of numerous key entrants. The field includes only five of this season's top 20 on the money list.

Inkster, who finished third in the tournament in 1997 but missed the cut last year, is playing in her extended backyard. The three-time U.S. amateur winner lives in Los Altos, Calif., and was a collegiate All-American at San Jose State. This week, she is staying at the home of her sister-in-law in nearby Auburn.

Michelle McGann, who also held a share of the lead after the first round, faltered to a 77 and trails the leader by nine strokes.

Annika Sorenstam, the reigning LPGA Player of the Year, shot her second consecutive 71 and trails Inkster by six strokes with two others at 142.

After a front-nine 40, defending champion Donna Andrews rallied to a 2-under-par 34 back nine, carded her second consecutive 74 and trails Inkster by 12 strokes at 148.

Divots: The cut was 6-over-par 150... Kate Hughes' 86 was the second round's highest score and equalled the worst round of the tournament. Hughes missed the cut at 171... Kim Saiki, a non-winning, six-year veteran, tied Inkster for the tournament's best round. But after an opening-round 79, she's 10 strokes behind.