WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Annika Sorenstam is in charge
again, and there was no disputing that.
One day after a chilly confrontation with Paula Creamer over a
drop, Sorenstam put it out of her mind Friday and made two eagles
on her way to a 2-under 70, giving her a two-shot lead over Hee-Won
Han at the season-ending ADT Championship.
After the round, however, she wasn't pleased to hear how
strongly Creamer felt about Sorenstam's drop on the 18th hole in
the first round.
Creamer insisted that Sorenstam's tee shot stayed over the water
during its flight, and that the 35-year-old Swede should have gone
back to the tee for her third shot, instead of to a drop area about
190 yards from the hole.
The 19-year-old rookie said in her "heart of hearts," she did
not think the ball ever crossed land, and she later said of
Sorenstam that "it's her conscience."
"I'm mostly surprised she feels that way," Sorenstam said.
"I'm disappointed that she feels that way. Obviously, she has the
right to feel any way she wants. But I really didn't interpret the
situation like that out there at all. For me, it was a bad shot. We
were trying to figure out where to drop."
There were no such issues on a gloomy afternoon Friday, just
scrappy golf by just about everyone trying to handle the strong
breeze and light rain that came down sideways over the final two
hours.
Sorenstam did just enough.
She is the defending champion at Trump International, and she is
accustomed to being atop the leaderboard. Even so, Sorenstam could
not recall having a round under par without making any birdies.
She didn't need any.
First came a 7-wood on the par-5 fifth hole, from 194 yards to a
front pin that stopped 10 feet away. On the par-5 ninth, she
hammered another drive and had 217 yards to the hole. Sorenstam
again hit 7-wood with a gentle breeze at her back, and it stopped
12 feet from the hole.
Those eagles offset two bogeys -- a poor tee shot on the opening
hole, a pedestrian chip on the par-3 seventh -- and she avoided
trouble that so many others faced to finish at 5-under 139.
Han had an 18-foot birdie putt on the par-5 15th for a share of
the lead, but ran the putt some 4 feet by the hole and missed it
coming back for a three-putt bogey. She would up with a 74, two
shots behind.
As tough as Trump played, Cristie Kerr made it look easy and
gave herself a shot at redemption. Kerr lost in a playoff to
Sorenstam last year by making double bogey on the 18th hole.
Starting the second round in 27th place among the top 30 on the
money list, she shot a 6-under 66 and wound up tied for third with
Michele Redman (73), just three shots behind Sorenstam.
"I want another shot at it," Kerr said.
Creamer likes her chances, too, although she could have done
without a bogey on the 18th hole when she chipped from the side of
the hill to about 4 feet and missed the par putt. That gave her a
75 that featured two double bogeys.
The first one came on the opening hole, when she twice caught
the lip of a bunker -- off the fairway, and to the right of the
green -- and had to make a 25-foot putt to limit the damage. The
other double bogey came on the par-3 seventh hole for the second
straight day, where a hybrid club found the water.
She shot 40 on the front nine, but still left herself in the
hunt at 1-under 143, along with Liselotte Neumann (74) and Meena
Lee (71).
"I'm playing good enough golf to be leading this tournament,"
Creamer said.
While Sorenstam was disappointed to read Creamer's remarks, the
teen was surprised Sorenstam was still bothered by Thursday's
dispute.
"I just said what I felt," Creamer said. "That's golf."
They were not paired together Friday, and they will be separated
again in the third round. Their next meeting figured to be later
Friday evening at Mar-a-Lago, where Sorenstam was to receive the
LPGA Tour player of the year award, and Creamer was to get her
rookie of the year award.
"Tonight will be a good time [to talk], I guess," Sorenstam
said.
The golf was fairly entertaining, too, part of that because of
the wind that brought so much indecision over club selection and
led to some interesting scores.
Juli Inkster was last after opening with an 80, then improved by
12 shots after a 68 that left her eight shots behind. She was on
the range in a light rain, trying to figure out if where was a
prize for most improved player.
Lorena Ochoa easily wins for wildest round.
The Mexican star had seven birdies and one eagle -- and still
only shot even-par 72. She was hurt by three double bogeys -- two of
them on the final three holes -- and only four pars.
Sorenstam's round was rather routine except for two 7-wood shots
that put her in the lead.
"Nice to have the round over," Sorenstam said. "Now I can
breathe."