REUNION, Fla. -- Lorena Ochoa will have to come from behind to win a fourth consecutive tournament.
Ochoa shot a 5-under 67 in the second round of the Ginn Open on Friday, leaving her three strokes behind leader Yani Tseng.
Tseng moved to 12 under with a course-record 64. Suzann Pettersen (66) was 10 under, one shot ahead of Ochoa and Minea Blomqvist (66).
"I like coming from behind," Ochoa said. "I don't think you have the pressure to be on top for four days. I really like where I am right now. I feel comfortable where I am. It's nice to be a few shots behind."
Ochoa missed every birdie putt she had during the first eight holes, but got things going on the par-5 ninth. She just missed the green with her second shot, chipped to 6 feet and then sank the putt.
She followed with four more on the back nine, including an up-and-down from a green-side bunker at No. 10 and a 20-footer from the fringe on the 13th.
She needed every one of them to stay close to Tseng, a rookie from Taiwan who earned her card in qualifying school last year.
Tseng's best round on the LPGA Tour was one stroke better than Cristie Kerr's opening round at the Ginn in 2006. It also was three shots shy of her career low round, a 62 she shot as a junior in Indonesia. She ended that round with an eagle.
She finished with a disappointing bogey Friday.
Knowing a 62 was within reach, Tseng said she was "trying too hard the last three holes." It really cost her on No. 18, when she pushed her tee shot into a bunker, had to lay up from there, then played a safe shot to the green that ended up 17 feet from the pin. She just missed the long par putt.
Nonetheless, Tseng was ecstatic with her round that included five consecutive birdies and seven putts of 10 feet or longer.
"It was awesome," she said. "I feel I have a lot of confidence for my putting."
Her entire game has been pretty solid this year. She ranks fifth in scoring average and has five top-25 finishes in as many starts.
She was second at the MasterCard Classic last month, 14th at the Safeway International and tied for 21st at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
Pettersen checked out the leaderboard at one point, saw Tseng at 13 under and thought, "What course is she playing?"
"I was a little surprised when I saw that number," Pettersen said.
Tseng had hoped to start the third round in the final group with Ochoa. But Pettersen birdied her final hole -- she just missed an eagle putt -- and knocked Ochoa out of the closing threesome.
Now, Tseng will have to settle for watching Ochoa from afar. But given Ochoa's recent run, Tseng might get a pretty good show.
• Verizon Heritage: At Hilton Head Island, S.C., Lucas Glover's tired of keeping his frustrations to himself. Two more rounds like this at the Verizon Heritage and he won't have to.
Glover shot his second straight 66 to move to 10 under and take a one-stroke lead over defending champion Boo Weekley (64) at Harbour Town Golf Links.
Anthony Kim (67) was alone in third at 8 under, with two-time Verizon Heritage winner Stewart Cink (68), Cliff Kresge (66), and Stephen Ames (64) another shot behind.
Jim Furyk, ranked ninth in the world, had his second 68 to head a large group four shots back at 6 under.
• Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am: At Lutz, Fla., defending champion Tom Watson shot an 8-under 63 to take a three-stroke lead over Mark Wiebe and David Eger in the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am.
The five-time British Open champion shot a 7-under 28 on his last nine hole, the front nine of the TPC Tampa Bay, missing just two birdie putts -- a 12-footer on No. 2 and a 20-footer on No. 8. He hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation.
Wiebe is coming off a victory April 6 in the Cap Cana Championship in the Dominican Republic. Scott Hoch, a two-time winner this year, was four strokes back at 67 along with Mark James and Vicente Fernandez.
• China Open: At Beijing, France's Michael Lorenzo-Vera shot a 3-under 69 to take a one-stroke lead over England's Richard Finch and Ireland's Damien McGrane in the China Open.
The 23-year-old Lorenzo-Vera, in his first season on the European tour, had an 8-under 136 total on the Beijing CBD International Golf Club course.
McGrane chipped in for an eagle on the 13th hole.
Posted in Sports on Friday, April 18, 2008 11:00 pm
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