Ochoa falls behind in her homeland
debut as No. 1
(AP) - Lorena Ochoa struggled in her
second round as the No. 1 player in the world, shooting a 1-over 74 in
windy conditions Friday to drop five strokes behind the leaders in the
Corona Morelia Championship.
Angela Park (65), Yu Ping Lin (65), and Silvia Cavalleri (68) shared the
lead at 9-under 137 on the hilly Tres Marias course.
Sarah Lee matched the LPGA Tour record for relation to par for nine
holes, shooting an 8-under 28 on the front nine -- her final nine -- en
route to a 66. She was a stroke behind the leader at 8 under.
Ochoa, who took the top spot in the rankings from Annika Sorenstam on
Monday, had four birdies and five bogeys. She struggled with her putting
and also left herself in difficult positions with some poor approach
shots.
"I lost my rhythm. It wasn't the wind. I'm a player who can play well
with a lot of wind. It was just a bad day," said Ochoa, who was followed
by hundreds of fans, giving warm cheers and clapping even as dropped
strokes with bogeys.
"But I'm still in the tournaments. Maybe tomorrow there will be less
wind and I will be able to play more aggressively."
Ochoa won last year on the Jack Nicklaus-designed course that sits 6,300
feet above sea level -- and is 175 miles from her native Guadalajara.
Park birdied her final five holes.
"I'm optimistic after such a great round today. Obviously there is still
two more days, and a lot of holes to play," the South Korean player
said. "Nothing is really going to change tomorrow. I'm just to keep on
doing what I'm doing and hopefully get some good results on Saturday and
Sunday."
Cavalleri, from Italy, had a bogey-free round.
"I'm feeling really, really well and like the course," Cavalleri said.
"Some of the holes remind me of the course in the Italian Open that I
have played for quite a few years. I like it."
Teresa Lu (68), Julieta Granada (68) and Pat Hurst (69) were 7 under,
and first-round leader Stacy Prammanasudh (73) was 6 under along with Na
On Min (72).
Two players had aces Friday.
Diana D'Alessio holed a 4-iron shot from 186 yards on the 13th.
"I really didn't hit the best shot of my life," D'Alessio said. "I kind
of pulled the 4-iron a little bit and hit into the bank and I turned my
back and the crowd up at the green was like, `It went in!"' she said. "I
laughed so hard. I was like there is just no way. That was just a
thrill."
D'Alessio's also had an eagle in a 67 that left her tied with Ochoa at 4
under.
Ji Yeon Lee had her hole-in-one on No. 6, hitting a 9-iron from 139
yards. She finished with a 75 and was 3 over overall.
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