SCOT'S GREAT RECOVERY FROM BAD START IN KRAFT NABISCO

CATRIONA KEEPS IT UP -- BOGEY-FREE

FOUR-UNDER 68 IN SECOND ROUND

Catriona Matthew continued her great run after starting the Kraft Nabisco Major with two double bogeys in her first four holes on Thursday.
Today, the North Berwick star had a bogey-free 68 at the Mission Hills Country Club, Rancho Mirage in California.
Catriona birdied the fourth, 11th, 13th and 17th and is now on four-under-par 140, three strokes
behind the early leaders, Lexi Thompson (73-64)
and Se Ri Park (67-70), on 137
The Scot will start the third round in a share of sixth place, alongside Sweden's Anna Nordqvist (71-69)
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ON THE LPGA WEBSITE

 SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 144 (2x72) Players from USA unless stated
137 Lexi Thompson 73 64, Se Ri Pak (S Korea) 67 70
138 Michelle Wie 67 71
139 Cristie Kerr 69 70, Shanshan Feng (China) 66 73
140 Catriona Matthew (Scotland) 72 68, Morgan Pressel 70 70, Anna Nordqvist (Sweden) 71 69.
SELECTED SCORES
142 Charley Hull (England) 73 69, Carlota Ciganda (Spain) 73 69, Sandra Gall (Germany) 72 70, Azahara Munoz (Spain) 72 70 (T11)
143 Stacy Lewis 73 70, Karrie Webb (Australia) 73 70 (T19)
146 Jodi Ewart Shadoff (England) 76 70 (T46)
+Players with two-round totals of 149 and better qualified for the final two rounds.

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LEXI THOMPSON,  SE RI PAK SHARED 

HALFWAY LEAD AT SEVEN-UNDER-PAR

Lexi Thompson and Se Ri Pak share the lead at seven-under-par 137 following the second round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship. Thompson shot the low round of the day, firing a second-round 64 (-8), a new Championship record for the low score in the second round, while Pak was steady in backing up an opening 67 (-5) with a day two 70 (-2).
Thompson shoots lowest second round in Kraft Nabisco Championship history
Lexi Thompson fired a second-round 64, the lowest second-round in Kraft Nabisco Championship history, to sit in a tie for first heading into the weekend.
The 19 year-old used a hot flat stick, needing a mere 25 putts on her round, to jump 28 spots on the leaderboard from a tie for 29th into the lead.
“I was just trying to stay in the moment and focus on each shot, not really think about what I was shooting,” Thompson explained.
 “I had the same confidence over every shot, just committing to my line and just being confident over every shot or every putt, and I just tried to do that the whole way throughout, even at the beginning of the round.”
After starting her round by making five-straight pars, a birdie at the par-4 15th began a stretch where the Coral Springs, Fla., native made birdies on six of her next eight holes to climb up the leaderboard.
When it was all said and done, Thompson had fired her lowest round in a major and credited her success on the round, and over the past few weeks, to a positive approach to the game of golf.
“I just went into last week and just tried to have fun out there, laugh in between shots, get my mind off the game, and same thing with this week. Just go out there and relax.,” Thompson admitted. “Even though it’s a major, it’s just a golf tournament, so just going out there and having fun.”
Thompson will enter the weekend with the lead for the third time in her career. Thompson has closed out two of those leads into trips to the winners circle.
Working for the weekend
With the cutline at 149 (+5), 73 players will be around for the weekend. The Saturday and Sunday field will feature six amateurs - Minjee Lee (-1), Brooke Hendersen (+1), Lilia Vu (+2), Angel Yin (+3), Su-Hyun Oh (+4) and Alison Lee (+5) - a new tournament record.
Notable names who missed the cut include Lizette Salas (+6), Yani Tseng (+7), Brittany Lang (+12) and past champions Amy Alcott (+18) and Pat Hurst (+8).
Major accomplishment
With a two-day total of 146 (+2), Paula Creamer was easily inside the cutline to make her 37th consecutive cut in a major, tying Tiger Woods for most as a pro, according to Golf Channel’s Kelly Tilghman. Creamer has never missed a cut in a major in her career.
Enjoying the ride
Se Ri Pak is a five-time major champion but the Kraft Nabisco Championship has always eluded the Hall of Famer. Pak is looking to change that this week and is in prime position after a second round 70 has her tied for the lead. When asked about her play and what a win this week would mean to her Pak was very reflective.
“Right now it’s meaning more than earlier,” Pak said. “I have such a great career earlier at such a young age, but right now this moment is probably the best moment I’ve ever had. It’s just more enjoyable, I learn to understand more golf. I find my game, I find my life. Everything is just all together, and it’s probably the best time.
It’s just great to be out here.”
Wie stays in contention with a 71
At the halfway point of the Kraft Nabisco Championship, Michelle Wie is in prime position to take a run at her first career major championship.
With an up-and-down round of 71 on Friday, Wie was able to keep herself in contention despite not being able to get much momentum going.
“Yeah, it felt good to start off with a birdie. Just after that really just couldn’t get anything going,” Wie admitted. “But I held on in the middle and the front nine, and the back nine was just a whole lot of pars. But it felt good. Par is a good score out here. Just couldn’t get anything going today, but at the same time I’m happy with the 71 today. Hopefully I can get things going again this weekend.”
Playing with a heavy heart
Mo Martin put in one of the best rounds on the day with a four-under 68 to climb onto the first page of the leaderboard in a tie for ninth at -3. Martin did all of this with a heavy heart due to the recent passing of her grandfather.
“You know, I mean, I feel at peace because in the last 10 years I have given 100 percent to him. He’s been a priority. It’s pretty much been my golf and my grandpa,” Martin said. “I knew he wanted me to keep playing. There’s no doubt. He would just want me to go get back on the course, enjoy it, live my life.”
Piller turns it around on day two
Gerina Piller admittedly didn’t have her best stuff during the opening round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship but a second round 65 (-7) has the American back in the hunt at two-under for the championship.
“It’s anyone’s game. Anything can happen,” Piller said after her round. “It’s a great course. It’s in awesome shape, and you get the birdies rolling and you can go low out here. I’m just happy to be here playing for the weekend. It wasn’t looking like that yesterday. Just want to stay patient especially and not put so much pressure on my tee shots.”
When asked what was working for her on the day Piller was not shy in admitting it was one of those special days on the course where everything seemed to click.
“Just everything. I started off kind of rough, had to make a couple long putts for par, and that kind of just got my round kick started. After that just tried to focus on hitting fairways and greens, and tried to hit it closer, and that always helps.”
Pressel in the hunt after second-straight 70
2007 Kraft Nabisco Champion Morgan Pressel put herself into the hunt heading into moving day thanks to a second-straight 70 (-2). Pressel sits in a tie for sixth place, three strokes back of the lead.
“I hit a lot of greens today and gave myself a lot of chances,” Pressel said. “I definitely left some out there, and I kind of got hosed on one hole out there and a little unlucky, but that’s part of it. I was kind of proud of the way that I bounced back and got it back to 2 under on the day.”
Quote of the Day
“It’s a great feeling to have. Obviously this is one of my main goals, to win a major this year, especially the Kraft Nabisco would be a huge honour.”