PALM DESERT, Calif. — Hands on her hips as she surveyed a situation that could have wrecked her round yesterday, Michelle Wie noticed dozens of bees hovering over a desert bush with her ball nestled against the root.

She asked for a free drop, stated her case, and the kid got her way.

"One day I watched TV — it was a very rare occasion for me — and I saw this one player, he was in a bush, and he had all of these fire ants in the bush and he got relief," the 16-year-old Wie said. "I remembered that, and I asked the rules official if I can get relief because I'm allergic to bees."

Doing her homework paid off.

The birdies and bees carried her to a career-low 65 in the Samsung World Championship, and into the final group going into the weekend of her professional debut. Wie was two shots behind Grace Park, who had a 6-under-par 66 after recovering from a four-putt double bogey.

Annika Sorenstam wasn't so lucky.

An hour after Wie got a fortuitous ruling on the 14th hole, Sorenstam's tee shot landed in a bush. She was given a free drop because the scoreboard was in her way, just not as much relief as she thought she deserved.

The ball was still well above her feet, meaning the flight would be right-to-left, and Sorenstam argued that the board was still in her way. The official said the shape of her shot didn't matter.

"I thought I could get complete relief. I thought that was the rule," Sorenstam said after a 71 that left her tied with Wie and 19-year-old Paula Creamer (69). "They said, 'No, it's a straight shot.' So we disagreed."

The rulings were part of an entertaining day at Bighorn, with the promise of more drama on the weekend.

Park, who has missed chunks of the year with back and neck injuries, overcame a four-putt from 20 feet to make six birdies on the back nine and finish two rounds at 11-under 133.

Wie was on the verge of a bogey on the par-5 seventh hole, hitting her 3-wood into the desert and having to take a penalty shot for an unplayable lie. Facing a flop shot 25 yards away, over a bunker to a green sloping away from her, she holed the chip for birdie and was on her way.

"The birdie was a surprise for me," she said. "It was a good surprise."

The other birdies were an array of short irons that rarely left the flag, and a 5-wood on the 508-yard 12th hole that reached the green for a two-putt birdie.

But the bees saved her.

Wie's tee shot on the par-4 14th lodged at the base of a Gold Lantana plant, and it appeared she would have to take an unplayable lie. Instead, she thought about that ruling she once saw on TV and summoned LPGA official Jim Haley.

"They're just honey bees," Haley said when he stooped to inspect the situation.

"I got bit by a honey bee once," Wie replied, then under her breath muttered, "My foot got all swollen."

Haley gave her a free drop under the "Decisions of Golf," which allows for relief when "it is unreasonable to expect the player to play from such a dangerous situation" such as a rattlesnake or bees' nest.

Wie blasted out of the lie where green grass met desert sand, onto the green and escaped with a par.

"Michelle studies the 'Decision of Golf.' We look at odd rulings," said her father, BJ Wie.

This one is so odd that it falls under Rule 1-4: "Points Not Covered by the Rules." In these cases, the decision is to be made "in accordance with equity." Whether it was the proper ruling — and it was Haley's call — Wie showed some savvy by looking for a loophole in the sometimes harsh world of golf rules.

"She did all the talking," caddie Greg Johnston said.

The Hawai'i teen said she has a history of bees that date to kindergarten when it was nap time at school. She rolled out her mat and wound up sleeping on a bee, causing her ankle to swell. She also recalled getting stung at an amateur event when she was 11.

"I'm not a big fan of bees, and there were tons in there," she said.

Tied for the lead at the time, Wie closed out her round with pars, missing a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that spun all the way around the cup and hung on the front edge.

The bogey-free 65 was her lowest score in 30 professional events. Her previous best was a 66 in the third round of the 2003 Kraft Nabisco Championship.

"I was a little more tense yesterday than I was today," Wie said. "I felt solid today. Hopefully, I can carry on."

Park finished with a flourish, making birdies from inside 2 feet on the 16th and 17th, and lipping out on the 18th.

"I kept telling myself it's never too late to start playing well," Park said. "I'm glad I'm turning it around."

Park has played several times with Wie in practice rounds, but today will be for real.

"Yes, I have had a few chances to play with Michelle," Park said. "I think she is a sweet girl. She is a wonderful player, very strong and got great skills. But to me, she is still a 16-year-old. When she talks to me she is like a little sister. I have a good relationship with her. You know, we'll have fun playing together."

Park often chides the Hawai'i-born teen that Wie speaks Korean with a trace of accent.

"She actually tries to speak more and more Korean," said Park. "It's quite cute.

"Because she was born here in the states, her Korean isn't perfect so she's got a little accent, broken Korean. Not broken. Broken."

LPGA.com contributed to this report