It took Se Ri
Pak about six holes to get going in the second round of the Samsung World Championship
of Women's Golf and that wasn't too late to maintain her lead.
Pak shot a 1-under-par 71 today and her 138 total kept her two strokes in front
of Laura Davies, who shot a 71
Karrie Webb and Rachel Hetherington were tied for third at 2-under 142 at the
6,493-yard layout at Rush Creek Golf Club.
Pak said she just needed to relax.
"Today,
for the front nine, I had some problems -- aiming problems and things like that,"
Pak said. "And after that, I just wanted to find the tempo. That's why after the
front nine, I felt better."
Pak thrilled the crowds with long drives on the windy course, but had a few stumbles
putting on the back nine.
"I
think it's too much thinking on the green because the wind is so strong," she
said.
Pak three-putted
No. 15, the same hole she made a double bogey on in the first round. She finished
with a par on 16, a birdie on 17 and par on 18.
Davies looked like she was in trouble on 340-yard 13th, when she hit her tee shot
into 3-foot high reeds.
"I
was unlucky there, because I hit the cart path and I hate cart paths. They never
do you any favors," said Davies, who made a bogey on the hole. "I had an absolutely
horrendous lie in the long stuff."
Davies said she was looking forward to being paired with Pak for a second straight
day on Saturday.
"I
like playing golf with her," Davies said. "She's one of the best ball strikers
out there, so it's always nice to be playing with her because it inspires you
to hit good shots as well."
The tournament is being played in twosomes because only 20 players were invited.
There were 19 left, after Dottie Pepper withdrew Thursday because of a hand injury.
Hetherington entered the
day 1-over, came off No. 9 at even par, then turned on her "A" game. After birdies
on three of the next four holes, she was 3 under. She finished with a 69, while
Webb had a 70.
Hetherington,
an Australian playing in her third year on the LPGA Tour, has established herself
as one of the circuit's better players this year.
She won consecutive tournaments in late April and early May and also took third
in the areaWeb.com Challenge in August.
She has already earned more money in 1999 ($383,314) than in her first two years
combined, which she attributed to feeling more comfortable on the Tour.
"I think I'm just hitting
a bit more consistently well, and I'm putting well," Hetherington said.
Kellie Kuehne finished
the day with a 68, and was in a fifth place tie at 143 with Liselotte Neumann,
who had a 71.
Kuehne
started the day at 3 over and was 5 over on No. 7, but got hot after making the
only eagle of the day on the 528-yard, par-5 8th.
Kuehne is a former All-America at Texas, but she's now a de facto Minnesotan because
she is engaged to Vikings rookie offensive lineman Jay Humphrey.
