TWO-SHOT PENALTY MEANS LAURA ONLY
SHARES THE LEAD IN JAPAN

A two-shot penalty for putting from the wrong place cost Laura Davies the second-round lead in the Mizuno Classic over the par-72, 6,506yd course at Kintetsu Kashikojima Country Club at Shima, Japan today.
Momoko Ueda (Japan) tied Laura for the halfway lead by returning a five-under-par 67. The Japanese player had six birdies and one bogey to be on the seven-under-par 137 mark after 36 holes.
Davies, 44, looked set to maintain her lead but had a double bogey on the par-4 14th, and had to settle for a 72.
On the 14th, the English player was given a two-shot penalty for putting from the wrong place. "I'm just angry that this happened," Davies said. "This is my 20th year on tour and it's never happened."
LPGA Vice President Doug Brecht explained the ruling on the putt, citing rule 20-7. He said Davies marked her ball and was then asked to move her marker because it was in a competitor's line. He said Davies forgot to move her marker back and putted from the spot to which she had moved her marker.
"Laura played from a wrong place," he said. "She was penalised two shots and then continued to play from where she played from the wrong place."
Davies, who had a one-stroke lead after the first round, is bidding for her first win in Japan since taking the Itoen Ladies title for a fourth time in 2001. Ueda had six birdies and one bogey.
"It was a good round; I can't say it was perfect. I missed a few shots," Ueda said. "But I kept myself calm and patient like the advice I got from my caddie."
American Reilley Rankin, Sweden's Maria Hjorth and Japan's
“I could have a three, four-shot lead right now quite easily, which is just rotten really,” Davies said later.
“I didn’t make another birdie coming in, and now I’m tied for the lead instead of being two, three, four ahead. Very, very disappointing.”
Davies, who had a one-stroke lead after the first round, is bidding for her first win in Japan since taking the Itoen Ladies title for a fourth time in 2001.
Reilley Rankin, Maria Hjorth and Mie Nakata are one stroke back of the leaders.
Karrie Webb, who came from behind to snap Annika Sorenstam’s Mizuno Classic winning streak at five here last year, struggled and is tied for 61st after a 76. Sorenstam is taking the week off.
The $1.4 million tournament has a first prize of $210,000.
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 144 (2 x 72) 6,506yd.
137 Momoko Ueda 70 67, Laura Davies 65 72.
138 Maria Hjorth 70 68, Mie Nakata 68 70, Reilley Rankin 66 72.
139 Jeong Jang 69 70, Erina Hara 67 72, Chie Arimura 66 73.
141 Shinobu Moromizato 71 70, Jee Young Lee 70 71, Becky Morgan 70 71, Bo Bae Song 70 71, In-Kyung Kim 69 72, Joo Mi Kim 69 72.
142 Mi Hyun Kim 72 70, Yuri Fudoh 72 70, Christina Kim 73 69, Hye Jung Choi 70 72, Yun-Joo Jeong 70 72, Brittany Lang 69 73.
143 Sakura Yokomine 72 71, Beth Bader 72 71, Inbee Park 71 72, Carri Wood 71 72, Shiho Oyama 75 68.
144 Midori Yoneyama 73 71, Jimin Kang 72 72, Angela Park 73 71, Hyun-Ju Shin 72 72, Hiroko Yamaguchi 74 70, Miki Saiki 71 73, Yuko Mitsuka 71 73, Yui Kawahara 71 73.
145 Sophie Guastafson 73 72, Diana D'Alessio 74 71, Nikki Campbell 74 71, Rachel Hetherington 74 71.
146 Meena Lee 72 74, Wendy Doolan 73 73, Toshimi Kimura 72 74, Mikiyo Nishizuka 74 72, Teresa Lu 74 72, Mi-Jeong Jeon 74 72, Yukari Baba 71 75, Akana Ijima 70 76.
147 Na On Min 72 75, Ayako Uehara 73 74, Ji-Yeon Han 73 74, Amy Hung 73 74, Alena Sharp 71 76, Sun Young Yoo 74 73, Karin Sjodin 75 72, Sarah Lee 76 71, Heather Young 78 69.
148 Mihoko Takahashi 72 76, Karine Icher 73 75, Gloria Park 72 76, Silvia Cavalleri 71 77, Na Zhang 74 74, Lorie Kane 75 73.
149 Saiki Fujita 73 76, Karrie Webb 73 76, Tamie Durdin 72 77, Kim Hall 72 77, Ai Miyazatao 77 72.
150 Katherine Hull 74 76, Dorothy Delasin 74 76, Kuniko Maeda 74 76, Jyeong Bae 74 76, Nobuko Kizawa 75 75, Miho Koga 75 75, Mayumi Shimomura 76 74.
151 Yun-Jye Wei 73 78, Lindsey Wright 76 75, So-Hee Kim 79 72.
152 Il Mi Chung 81 71.
154 Julieta Granada 76 78, Jae-Hee Bae 80 74.