RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — Hawai'i's Michelle Wie shot a bogey-free 7-under 65 — the best round of the day — in the second round of an LPGA Tour sectional qualifying tournament yesterday, putting her in second place in a field of 160.

Displaying the ability that has put her in contention in major championships, Wie birdied five of her final nine holes on the Palmer Course at Mission Hills Country Club to finish at 9-under 135. The 18-year-old Wie, a Punahou School alum currently attending Stanford, is three shots behind South Korea's Sun-Ju Ahn halfway through the 72-hole competition.

Ahn followed her 6-under 66 in the first round on the Palmer Course with another 66 on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course, home of the LPGA's Kraft Nabisco Championship.

As was the case after the first round, Wie declined requests for media interviews. With 36 holes remaining in the tournament, all on the Shore Course, Wie seems certain to finish among the top 30 players and ties, which would move her into the final qualifying tournament in December for 2009 LPGA Tour exemptions.

The cut for the low 70 players and ties was at 150. Eighty-three players made the cut.

Three other Hawai'i golfers were also in the field.

Baldwin High grad Shayna Miyajima, who entered the day tied for 12th after a 1-under 71 Tuesday, shot a 3-over 75 yesterday and made the cut tied for 27th at 2-over 146

Baldwin alum Kelly Nakashima (77—154, 10 over) and Punahou alum Bridget Keala Dwyer (78—155, 11-over) missed the cut.

The top 30 players from this sectional and another beginning Sept. 30 will advance to the final 90-hole stage at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla., Dec. 3 to 7.

The top 40 finishers there earn playing cards, with the top 20 getting priority status, which allows them to enter a greater number of tournaments.

www.lpga.com and Bloomberg News Service contributed to this report.