Updated at 7:24 p.m., Friday, February 23, 2007
Fields Open second round suspended by darkness
By Jaymes Song
Associated Press
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Prammanasudh was at 10-under 134 and was being chased by a pack of youngsters, including two teenagers hoping to become the youngest winner in LPGA Tour history.
Rookie Angela Park was at 9 under with nine holes left when play was halted because of darkness, following a three-hour rain delay earlier in the day. The 18-year-old Park was among 70 players who will have to finish their rounds early Saturday.
Morgan Pressel, also 18, shot a 65 and was at 8 under, along with 21-year-old Jee Young Lee, who had five holes left.
Despite being atop the leaderboard and making seven birdies, Prammanasudh (pronounced PRAH-mahna-sood) wasn't happy with her round, especially her three bogeys.
"I managed to make some birdies when I could, but I had a couple rocky holes as well. Just kind of up and down," she said.
She made a 1-foot birdie putt on 13 to reach 10 under, but gave a stroke back on the 195-yard 16th after sailing her 5-iron tee shot to the right. She hit a strong wedge shot, leaving her with a 4-foot birdie putt on the next hole to get back to 10 under.
The former University of Tulsa standout won the 2005 Franklin American Mortgage Championship for her lone LPGA Tour title. That was the last tournament she led heading into the final round.
"I'm making the birdies. I've got to continue doing that," she said. "There's too many tough competitors behind me."
The 27-year-old Prammanasudh wasn't too sorry when the rain dumped on the afternoon groups.
"In Hawaii, you can get rain any time and it was beautiful out there until literally just now," she said. "Luckily, I was able to finish."
Park, who shared the first-round lead with Prammanasudh, patiently waited out the delay to start her round. When she finally teed off, she wasted no time climbing the leaderboard.
The youngest LPGA Tour member in the field followed three straight pars with three straight birdies to reach 9 under.
The Brazilian-born Korean who grew up in Torrance, Calif., is playing without a single sponsor. With her stellar play and ability to speak three languages fluently, she won't be without one for long.
Pressel began the day on the back nine at 1 under and shot up the leaderboard with four birdies and an eagle in her first six holes to reach 7 under. On the par-5 13th hole, she hit a lob wedge from 54 yards that hopped once and dropped into the cup.
"I fired at the sticks and it could've been lower. I just made some dumb mistakes," said Pressel, who got her birdie flurry going by sinking putts from 20 and 30 feet.
"For the most part today, I played great," she said. "I missed three putts for birdie inside of 10 feet, and I just really had a ton of chances, which was nice for once."
She cooled off on her back side with three birdies and two bogeys.
"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid," Pressel said about her three-putt bogey from 20 feet on No. 7.
Pressel and Park are vying to become the youngest winner of a full LPGA Tour event. Pressel got close at last week's season-opening SBS Open. She shared the lead heading into the final day and closed with a 74 to tie for fourth.
Her efforts in the offseason in the gym and on the greens seem to be paying off.
"I worked a lot on everything, just tightening everything up so that I could hit them closer to the hole and make more birdies," she said. "I worked a ton on my putting and I think I putted pretty well."
Lee had five birdies in her first six holes, followed by five straight pars and a birdie to reach 9 under.
The 21-year-old South Korean made 24 of 25 cuts last year and had six top-10 finishes including a tie for second at the Wendy's Championship. Lee won the 2005 CJ Nine Bridges Classic as a member of the Korea LPGA to become the 14th non-LPGA member to win an LPGA event.
Mi Hyun Kim (67) and Carri Wood (68) were at 6 under. Natalie Gulbis (67) was another stroke back at 5 under tied with Aram Cho (68), Michele Redman (68).
Ai Miyazato, Karrie Webb and Nicole Castrale were still on the course at 5 under.
Julieta Granada (75), who finished second at Turtle Bay, was at 2 over and may miss the cut because of a double bogeying on her ninth hole, the par-4 18th. Her approach shot fell well short of the green, about a foot behind a wood railing.
Instead of laying up, Granada attempted to pitch over the railing, but whiffed. She angrily threw down her club with the grandstand looking on. She then chipped about 10 feet sideways on to the fairway where she safely hit onto the green and two putted.
Hawai'i native Kimberly Kim, who last year became the youngest U.S. Women's Amateur winner at age 14, shot a 73 and was at 3 over, jeopardizing her chances of making the cut. She also failed to make the cut in the SBS.
Kim, the only amateur in the field, started on the back nine today and birdied the par-3 No. 12 and bogeyed the par-4 18th. On the front nine, she birdied the par-5 No. 1 before getting bogeys on the par-5 fifth hole and the par-4 seventh hole.
