Although not breaking records, Se Ri Pak still had the hottest hand. Now, she's in a position to win again -- finally.

Pak, who won four LPGA tournaments in 1998 but has struggled this year, fired a solid if unspectacular 69 today to take a two-stroke lead in the ShipRite LPGA Classic.

Still, she swears she won't think about winning until she completes her final round in the 54-hole tournament Sunday.

"No matter what, I don't want to be thinking, 'If I make this, I might win.' I don't want to do that," she said.

On Saturday, she took care of business just fine. It wasn't the record-breaking 63 she shot a day earlier, but it was good enough.

She rallied after a double bogey on No. 6, carding four birdies en route to a two-day total of 132 -- 10 under par -- heading into the final round.

"It wasn't that easy, like yesterday," she said. "I had a tough day, a few bad shots. I'm hanging in there, though."

Pak posted 10 birdies Friday en route to her record showing on the 6,051-yard, par-71 Seaview Marriott Resort course. But tricky wind and a disastrous performance on No. 6 held her to a 69 on Saturday.

On that hole, a 384-yard par-4, her tee shot landed in the rough left of the fairway, between two trees. There was no way to shoot at the hole, so she flipped her ball about 15 yards back onto the fairway. She hit her next shot into the rough left of the green and then two-putted.

She said she didn't let it get her down, though.

"I had lots of holes to go. I wasn't finished yet."

Pak responded with some sterling chip shots and solid putting.

On No. 16, she chipped to four feet and made the birdie putt. On No. 18, she chipped out of the rough and then holed a 2-1/2-foot putt for another birdie.

She said again that she hopes to win so she can give the trophy to her father for Father's Day.

Juli Inkster, whose round of 68 and two-day total of 134 put her two strokes back of Pak, was occasionally brilliant. She birdied two of her first four holes and was tied with Pak at 8-under at one point.

But she bogeyed consecutive holes on the back nine and couldn't keep pace.

Trish Johnson, Leta Lindley and Wendy Doolan were one shot back of Inkster at 135.

Defending champion Annika Sorenstam, who set an LPGA record last year with a 17-under-par 196, rallied after a sluggish opening round. She shot a 6-under 65, the lowest round Saturday, to go 5-under for the tournament, one shot behind Johnson, Lindley and Doolan.

Erika Wicoff made a hole-in-one, using 4-iron to ace the 177-yard 14th hole and win a car.

AP