Ochoa pulls to within one of halfway leader Moodie at Navistar Classic

9/27/2008

Recharged after a month off, Lorena Ochoa shot her second straight 5-under 67 to move within a stroke of leader Janice Moodie halfway through the Navistar LPGA Classic on Friday.

The top-ranked Ochoa is making her first start since tying for sixth in the Safeway Classic on Aug. 24, her fourth top-seven finish in a row, but seventh straight winless start.

Moodie followed her opening 66 with a 67 on the links-style Senator Course at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail's Capitol Hill complex.

The Scot birdied five of her last seven holes.

She won the last of her two LPGA Tour titles in 2002.

Ochoa birdied her final two holes, hitting a hybrid to 25 feet to set up a two-putt birdie on the par-5 eighth, and holing a 12-footer on the par-4 ninth.

Jill McGill shot a 69 to match Ochoa at 10 under.

Michele Redman was 9 under after a 65.

Christina Kim (66) and Song-Hee Kim (68) were 8 under, and McDonald's LPGA Championship winner Yani Tseng (66) was another stroke back along with Safeway champion Cristie Kerr (71) and Ji Young Oh (70).

Maria Hjorth, the winner last year in the inaugural event, followed her opening 76 with a 68 to easily make the cut at 4 under.

Leaderboard – Round 2:

1.   Janice Moodie                    66 67 133 -11
2.   Lorena Ochoa                    67 67 134 -10
      Jill McGill                           65 69 134 -10
4.   Michele Redman                 70 65 135 - 9
5.   Song-Hee Kim                    68 68 136 - 8
      Christina Kim                     70 66 136 - 8
7.   Yani Tseng                        71 66 137 - 7
      Cristie Kerr                        66 71 137 - 7
      Ji Young Oh                       67 70 137 - 7
10. Mikaela Parmlid                  69 69 138 - 6
      Michelle Ellis                      71 67 138 - 6
      Na On Min                         71 67 138 - 6
      Louise Friberg                    67 71 138 - 6
      Teresa Lu                          70 68 138 - 6
      Shanshan Feng                  68 70 138 - 6

Source: AP, LPGA Tour