ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Lorena Ochoa’s missed putt at the 18th took the fun out of another big step toward her first major. Michelle Wie’s missed cut suggested she’s still a long way from her first victory.

Ochoa missed a 4-footer on the final hole to give her an even-par 73 and a one-stroke lead at St. Andrews in the Women’s British Open, Wie was preparing another early flight home. She shot an 80 for a 7-over score of 153 that missed the cut by two.

“It’s a disappointment because I didn’t play as well as I wanted to,” said Wie, who has struggled with a left wrist injury.

“I do feel a lot stronger. I’m hitting a lot of shots that I’ve never really hit before so that’s a positive. I just need to take the positives and go on from there. I’m starting to feel really good about it. Obviously today was not my day, but I’ll do better.”

Missing the cut on the first women’s pro event to be played at the home of golf is another blow for the 17-year-old.

She had to sidestep the Kraft Nabisco because of injury, finished last at the LPGA Championship, and pulled out after playing only nine holes of the second round of the U.S. Women’s Open after shooting 82 in the first. Last week, she tied for 69th at the Evian Masters.

At St. Andrews, she had already dropped four shots by the time she took a triple bogey seven at the par-4 13th, taking five to get the ball within 12 feet of the flag and missing the putt. That was followed by another bogey. Her only birdie came at the last hole.

Sabbatini builds 2-shot lead in Bridgestone

AKRON, Ohio – Rory Sabbatini is taking all bets that par golf on the weekend at Firestone will pay him $1.35 million.

Sabbatini continued to make a difficult golf course look like a breeze Friday, running off three straight birdies toward the end of his round for another 3-under 67 and a two-shot lead over Masters champion Zach Johnson in the Bridgestone Invitational.

What appeared to be a tuneup for the final major of the season next week at the PGA Championship is starting to look like it might be an even tougher test. Sabbatini was at 6-under 134, with only seven other players able to break par. Five-time champion Tiger Woods was one of them after an even-par 70 in which he had no complaints until reaching the green.

He made only two birdies despite hitting 15 greens in regulation, and those were wiped out by a pair of three-putts from about 35 feet in which he left the first putt some 8 feet short of the hole. “They looked fast, but for some reason they putted a little bit slower than I thought they did (Thursday),” Woods said. “I just had a hard time making the adjustment.”

He was at 138 along with Scott Verplank (68) and Kenny Perry, who had his second straight 69.

Someone asked Sabbatini if two more rounds at 67 would be good enough to win, and the spunky South African was almost speechless.

“On the weekend?” he said. “I’d take that with that $1.35 million in a heartbeat. If I shoot 12 under, I’m winning. There’s no doubt in my mind. The way I look at it, I’d take even money right now shooting even par on the weekend. The course is only going to get tougher.”

For once, not many could argue with him.

Johnson and Davis Love III had the best round of the tournament at 65, proving that it could be done. Love wound up in the group at 139 that included Lee Westwood and Chris DiMarco.

Jenkins, Thorpe share first-round lead

BLAINE, Minn. – Tom Jenkins and Jim Thorpe took advantage of ideal conditions Friday to shoot 8-under 64s and share the 3M Championship’s first-round lead.

Jay Haas, who sits atop the Champions Tour’s money list and Schwab Cup points race, was one stroke back along with five others at the TPC of the Twin Cities.

Fifty-seven of the 78 players broke par on a day with low humidity and temperatures in the 80s. The wind, which can play havoc on the former sod farm, wasn’t a factor.

The average score was 69.83, the lowest first-round figure in the event’s 15-year history.

“Today, it was duck shooting,” said Thorpe, whose best finish this year was a tie for second in the season-opening MasterCard Championship. “The golf course is set up for scoring.”

Jenkins’ best showing in 2007 was a fourth-place tie at the At&T Champions Classic in March.

Craig Stadler, Bobby Wadkins, D.A. Weibring, John Jacobs and John Harris also had 65s. Three more stood at 6 under, led by three-time champion Hale Irwin.