LPGA TOUR REPORT

Anna Nordqvist leads Safeway Classic:

Janice slumps and Catriona misses cut

Sweden's Anna Nordqvist, who has made such a successful, seamless switch from successful amateur to successful tour pro, shot a 3-under 69 on Satuday to take a one-stroke lead over Seon Hwa Lee and Ai Miyazato going into the final round of the Safeway Classic.
Nordqvist, who won the LPGA Championship earlier this year and played in the recent Solheim Cup match, was at 10-under 134 after the first two rounds at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, North Plains in Oregon.
Miyazato had three straight birdies on Nos. 8-10, all par-5 holes, to climb up the leaderboard with a 68, while Lee sank a birdie putt on the par-4 18th hole and wound up with a 70.
Nordqvist, a star of the Arizona State University team a year or two back, was her usual unflappable self, following up bogeys on the eighth and 14th holes with birdies.
"I just kept hanging in there," she said.
In June, Nordqvist won the McDonald's LPGA Championship by four strokes over Lindsey Wright. It was just her fifth professional tournament.
Lee, a South Korean who won twice on the tour last year but has yet to have a victory this season, joked about her strategy for Sunday's round.
"My plan for tomorrow is to hit the fairways, hit the greens and make putts," she said with a giggle.
Miyazato won for the first time at the Evian Masters in July.
Michele Redman (69) and Suzann Pettersen (68) were at 8 under.
Beth Bader, who led by a stroke after the first round, had a 73 and was three shots off the pace at 7 under. Bader opened with a 64, her best round since 2007 and her best start at a tournament since the season opener in 2003.
Defending champion Cristie Kerr had a 70, while Michelle Wie shot a 71. Each goes into the final round at 5 under. Both were on the U.S. Solheim Cup team that defeated Europe last weekend in Sugar Grove, Illinois.
Before Saturday's round got under way, Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak withdrew for undisclosed reasons. She shot a 69 on Saturday. Most of the Solheim Cuppers are pleading fatigue.
It was a bad day for the Scots Solheim Cup pair, Janice Moodie and Catriona Matthew. Janice fell out of the top five with a 78 - 12 shots more than her first round - for 144, making the cut by one shot. But Catriona finished on the wrong side of the cut line despite a second-round 68 (an improvement of nine shots) for 145. Laura Davies was on the same mark.

LEADING SCORES
Par 144 (2x72)
134 A Nordqvist 65 69.
135 S H Lee 65 70, A miyazatoi 67 68, M Redman 67 69, S Pettersen 68 68.
137 N Gulbis 68 69, B Bader 64 73, A Stanford 66 71.
Selected scores:
139 M Wie 68 71 (jt 15th).
141 Becky Morgan 70 71, Karen Stupples 70 71 (jt 27th).
142 Lorena Ochoa 70 72 (jt 37th).
144 Janice Moodie 66 78 (jt 57th).
MISSED THE CUT
145 Catriona Matthew 77 68, Laura Davies 71 74.