RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – The powerful desert wind that tore through the Coachella Valley on Friday blew a new set of players to the top of the leaderboard of the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
Angela Stanford questioned whether the course was unplayable, but officials said they didn’t feel conditions got to that point.
Although the wind helped knock first-round leader Brittany Lincicome back a few shots, she was still in contention – and feeling fortunate.
“I survived,” Lincicome said after her round of 74, which was eight shots worse than her opening 66.
Kristy McPherson and Christina Kim teed off well before the wind started gusting and jumped into the lead at 6-under 138 at the halfway point of the LPGA Tour’s first major of the season.
McPherson shot a 70, and Kim had a 69 at Mission Hills, where palm trees swayed and flags snapped in the breeze. McPherson was two shots off the lead Thursday, while Kim was three back.
Cristie Kerr also teed off in the morning and shot a 68 to finish at 5 under.
Lincicome was at 4 under, while Jimin Kang and Lindsey Wright were at 3 under.
Stanford shot a 75, leaving her at 2 under with Paula Creamer, Helen Alfredsson and Pat Hurst, who won here in 1998. Michelle Wie struggled with her putting and shot an 81 to finish at 8 over and make the cut by a stroke.
Ex-Arizona Wildcat Lorena Ochoa shot her second straight 73 and was tied for 26th at 2 over. The Mexican star was 3 under for her round through 11 holes before finishing with four bogeys.
“It was close to being really, really good, but the way I finished, I am very disappointed,” Ochoa said. “I know they are playing tough, but I just missed a few important chances. It was a tough day. If you see the big picture, I’m happy with my score.”
The slightly built Ochoa said the wind affected “everything.”
“From the tee, it was important to hit good drivers, which I did, which I’m even more upset because I was in good position on certain holes, but I couldn’t control my swing,” Ochoa said. “With so much wind I kept losing my balanced.”
Ochoa said the wind contributed to her bogey on the par-4 16. Her 139-yard approach shot through a crosswind she estimated at 24 mph fell short of the green and landed in the right rough.
“I lost my balance and hit the ball to the right,” she said.
LPGA Tour official Doug Brecht said the wind built through the afternoon, from a constant 10-20 mph at noon to 20-30 mph from 2 p.m. on. He said it was 31 mph at 5 p.m.
Brecht said he positioned himself at the 18th green all afternoon because that was where there was the most difficulty with balls moving. He said he was in constant conversation with other rules officials all day.
“In our opinion the golf course played very, very difficult, very tough, but it was still playable and that’s why we made the decision never to suspend play,” he said.
PGA Tour
HUMBLE, Texas – England’s Paul Casey shot a 2-under 70 for a share of the lead with Australians Geoff Ogilvy and John Senden at 8 under during the suspended second round of the Shell Houston Open.
Casey was one of only five players to complete two rounds Friday after high wind suspended play Thursday afternoon. The horns sounded at 7:43 p.m. Friday with 65 players on the course and 72 others scheduled to start their second rounds Saturday.
PGA Europe
CASCAIS, Portugal – England’s Ross McGowan shot a 2-over 73 to take a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Estoril Open.