Becky Iverson used to spend her winters playing the LPGA International course but rarely made the cut when it came time for the Titleholders Championship. She moved up to Wisconsin this year, and now she's in the lead.

On a soft, cloudy day that yielded to low scoring and then thunderstorms, Iverson made eight birdies for a 6-under 66 and a one-stroke lead over Kris Tschetter before play was suspended this afternoon.

"I finally got used to the greens. I guess I'm a slow learner," said Iverson, who was at 10-under 134.

Annika Sorenstam again made it look easy in another round of 68 and was two strokes back, while Nancy Lopez had her best putting day of the year for a 66 and was in a group at 137.

Dark storm clouds caused play to stop at 3:32 p.m. EDT, and the LPGA called it a day at 6 p.m. Half of the 144-player field that was still on the course will return Saturday morning to finish the second round.

Among those was Karrie Webb, who birdied seven of her 14 holes and was at 7-under. Rachel Hetherington, trying to win for the third week in a row, lost her lead before she even teed off in the afternoon. An even-par 36 on the front didn't help her cause, and a double bogey at No. 12 dropped her to 2-over for the day and seven strokes behind.

Rain also caused havoc last week at Myrtle Beach, shortening the tournament to 36 holes.

Iverson, who grew up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, is used to much harsher conditions. She spent four years living in Daytona Beach during the winter months so she could work on her game, but decided she wanted to be closer to family and take a total break from golf.

It may have taken her a long time to learn how to score at LPGA International, but there was no secret in the second round -- make birdies, or watch everyone else zoom by.

"On this golf course, you have to make the putts or you're not going to be in there," Iverson said.

There was plenty of evidence.

Tschetter was in the middle of the pack until she made five straight birdies starting with the par-5 ninth. She failed to make birdie on No. 18, the easiest hole on the course, but still managed a 67.

"I was hitting it close on the front, but wasn't making anything," Tschetter said. "That putts finally started to drop on the back nine."

Chris Johnson beat the course record by two strokes with a 9-under 63. She was 5-under over the last four holes, topped off by a 4-wood into four feet for eagle on the last hole that gave her a 29 on the back.

"Shooting in the 20s is fun," Johnson said. After opening with a 75 and wanting only to make the cut, Johnson was only four strokes out of the lead at 138.

Lopez, who recently switched to a crosshanded putting grip, took only five putts over the last five holes and had just 26 putts for the round.

"Thank God," she said, raising both hands in mock celebration. "It seems like every time I play, I have 35 or 36 putts, so it's nice to have a low number."

Low numbers is what the Titleholders is all about.

The worst winning score in the four years since it moved to the LPGA headquarters is a 12-under 276 by Danielle Ammaccapane last year. Without any wind and continued soft conditions, the players may easily challenge Webb's winning score of 16-under in 1996.

The sentimental favorite would be Lopez, the Hall of Famer with 48 career victories.

"I've got the game to win," Lopez said. "I just have to get the mental strength back."

She found a portion of it on the 13th hole after a three-putt. One hole later, she missed the green and realized her round could be slipping away.

"I said to myself, 'These are the putts you have to make to win a tournament,' " Lopez said. She did just that on the next two holes, birdied two of the last three and has a chance on the weekend.

"I want to win another again, because I think that will get me on a roll," she said.<

DIVOTS: Becky Iverson credits a new Orlimar driver with an additional 15 yards off the tee, but it cost her in the first round. She took a two-stroke penalty for hitting the wrong ball. A.J. Eathorne plays the same brand of Titleist. "I never hit it past her," Iverson said. ... Along with beating the course record of 65, last set by Tammie Green two years ago, Chris Johnson's 63 was also a career low. Her previous best was a 64 in the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic. ... Johnson's 29 on the back nine tied the course record set by Karrie Webb in 1996.