DUBLIN, Ohio – Soo-Yun Kang overcame a triple-bogey to shoot her second consecutive 6-under-par 66 and forge a tie for the lead Friday with defending champion Catriona Matthew in the Wendy’s Championship for Children.

For the second day in a row the field took advantage of soft greens to put up record low scores. The cut of 3-under 141 matched the lowest in LPGA history. Fourteen players broke par through 36 holes but won’t play on the weekend.

“Every day you’re going to see people shooting low scores,” Matthew said. “If I can keep shooting 5- or 6-under, it’s going to be tougher for them to try and catch me.”

Kang and Matthew, who also put up a second 66, were at 132, a shot ahead of Karrie Webb, who had a 66 of her own.

Annika Sorenstam, finding her stride after a two-week layoff without golf, was four strokes back after a 67.

Kang, who got first tour victory last week at the Safeway, started her round at No. 10 and birdied the first two holes. At the 365-yard, par-4 12th, she hit her drive into a creek that snakes along the tilted fairway.

She took a drop and hit her third shot into the same waterway, then hit a wedge onto the green and two-putted for her 7.

“On the 12th hole, I made a mistake and it became a triple,” Kang said through an interpreter. “That was a huge mistake. After I made the triple, I was mad. But I thought, I can get over this.’ “

She came right back to birdie the following hole, her 8 iron coming to rest 8 feet from the cup. On four other holes, her approach shots were a foot or less from the stick.

Matthew, who won a year ago at Tartan Fields Golf Club with a final-round charge, turned in a 5-under 31 after an eagle at No. 9, then rolled in a 10-footer for birdie at the closing hole.

Kang predicted the winner might have to shoot 22 under.

“My putting is not as good as last week because the greens are slower,” she said. “But my shots are even better than last week.”

Rookie Paula Creamer, gunning for her third win of the year, had yet another 66 and was at 134 along with Michele Redman (67).

Cristie Kerr (67), Jeong Jang (67), Pat Hurst (68) and Amy Hung (67) were at 135, with Sorenstam leading the pack at 136.

“I’m still working out a few kinks in my swing, but other than that I hit 16 greens again and a lot of fairways,” said Sorenstam, a six-time winner this year. “It’s all very solid. Maybe I shouldn’t try to jinx myself, but I haven’t made a bogey yet in two days.”

U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Morgan Pressel shot a 67 to easily make the cut at 137, but broke down in tears after missing short birdie putts on the final two holes.

“I wanted to play with Annika tomorrow – and I probably would have if I had made one of the putts on the last two holes,” the 17-year-old player said between sobs. “I’ve never played with her in a tournament.

“I’ve looked up to her for so long. It would have been important for me to play with her.”

The LPGA record cut of 3-under came at the State Farm Rail Classic in 1997 and again in 1998, and at the Welch’s/Fry’s Championship in 2003.

AP-ES-08-26-05 1901EDT


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