LPGA Webb seeks season's first victory

Defending champion Annika Sorenstam was in a tie for 28th.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Karrie Webb shot a 1-under 69 Saturday and took a three-stroke lead after two rounds of the John Q. Hammons Classic.
Webb, who has not won a tournament this year, was at 6-under 134 after two rounds at the Tulsa Country Club. Christie Kerr, who also had a second-round 69, was alone in second.
Stacy Prammanasudh, playing in just her third LPGA tournament, and Donna Andrews were tied for third at 138 with three players another stroke back.
Defending champion Annika Sorenstam, playing for the first time in three weeks, had a difficult day, dropping into a tie for 28th after a 4-over 74. She was in an 11-way tie for fifth after an opening 69.
Webb birdied the final four holes Friday, but had a tougher time in the second round. She had three birdies Saturday but bogeyed Nos. 1 and 9, missing 5-foot putts on greens that have become bumpy as they dried after a week of rain.
Webb, who has won 28 tournaments in her career, had birdies on two par-3s, a 4-foot putt on No. 3 and a 20-foot putt on 17.
Kerr survived three bogeys to emerge from a large group into second place. She missed a chance to pull within a stroke of Webb, missing a 7-foot birdie putt on 17.
Andrews, the runner-up here in 2001, had a 2-over 72, while Prammanasudh, a crowd favorite from her days at the University of Tulsa, had a 69.
John Q. Hammons and the Renaissance Tulsa Hotel and Convention Center extended their sponsorship agreement Saturday, ensuring the third-year tournament will continue at least through 2005. Hammons also has an option to sponsor the LPGA's lone stop in Oklahoma through 2008.
The tournament, which has a purse of $1 million, is the last for several players competing in next week's Solheim Cup in Sweden.