Golf

'Aggressive' Solheim star ties for LPGA Champions lead

By wire services
Published November 12, 2005

MOBILE, Ala. - U.S. Solheim Cup star Christina Kim shot her second 5-under 67 on Friday to tie for the lead with Rachel Hetherington at the LPGA Tournament of Champions. Kim had four birdies and two bogeys (both on par 5s) among the first six holes.

"I wanted to come out and stay aggressive," Kim said. "If I saw a flag, I wanted my ball next to it. This is the kind of course where you can turn around four shots in two holes."

Hetherington shot 65 to match Kim at 10-under 134. She bogeyed the first two holes but rebounded with a 20-foot eagle putt on the par-5 fourth and birdied seven of the last 14 holes.

First-round leader Liselotte Neumann had double bogey at No.17 as part of a 72 that left her tied for third, four back, with Hee-Won Han (68) and Heather Daly-Donofrio (70).

SHANGHAI, China - Tiger Woods saved par on the last hole to shoot 3-under 69 and sit two shots behind David Howell and Nick Dougherty after two rounds of the European PGA's HSBC Champions tournament. Howell had no bogeys and five birdies for 67 and Dougherty shot 68 to finish at 12-under 132.

Woods, tied with Nick O'Hern, had birdies at Nos.13, 14 and 15 to get to 11 under before he bogeyed No.16, hitting a chip into a bunker then two-putting. At the 538-yard par-5 18th, his second shot went into a lake. After taking a drop, Woods hit a long, curling putt that just dribbled into the cup.

Paul Lawrie, who shared the first-round lead with Dougherty and Peter O'Malley, shot 75 and was five back. O'Malley shot 72 and was three back.

PGA: Jason Gore and Fred Funk shot 9-under 63 to lead after the first round of the Franklin Templeton Shootout in Naples. They led John Huston and Kenny Perry, Mark O'Meara and Nick Price and Fred Couples and Adam Scott by one in the alternate-shot format. Today is better ball and Sunday's final round a scramble.

Gore and Funk had an early bogey but birdied No.17 and just missed a 10-foot putt for birdie at No.18. Huston and Perry birdied Nos.12, 13, 14, 16 and 18. O'Meara and Price birdied two of the final three holes. Couples and Scott had six birdies in seven holes but shot 1 over on the final seven.

FUTURES: Song-Hee Kim shot 2-under 70 to win the Qualifying Tournament in Lakeland. Her 18-under 270 was five better than Brittany Lang and seven better than the tournament record set by Paula Creamer of Bradenton and Seminole's Brittany Lincicome.

All who completed three rounds at 88 and under qualified. Entry for tournaments is based on their finish in Lakeland. Qualifiers included Tampa's Kimberly Goedecke (tied for 26th at 292) Elizabeth Stuart and Darlene Stowers.

[Last modified November 12, 2005, 00:55:15]