Deluge postpones play After rain delay, Yang and Estill pull ahead to lead

Two others are deadlocked in second place.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
VIENNA -- Once again, Mother Nature was unkind to the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic.
Saturday's second round action was stopped after the first hour of play by heavy rains before resuming after two hours, 15 minutes.
Once the heavy rain halted, the players began to heat up quickly. Young-A Yang and Michelle Estill pulled ahead of the field to lead the tournament with 6-under-par 138 totals after 36 holes.
Yang, the second-year pro from Seoul, South Korea, was in second place to start the day after an opening round 67 and shot a 1-under-par 71 on Saturday, while Estill, the 14-year veteran from Scottsdale, Ariz., began the day at 1-under and sizzled the course with a 5-under-par 67 to force the deadlock.
Second place
Two players are deadlocked in second place, a stroke behind at 139. They were Laura Diaz of Amelia Island, Fla., and Moira Dunn of Utica, N.Y. Diaz shot a 2-under-par 70 and Dunn had a 3-under-par 69.
Rookie Nadina Taylor from Melbourne, Australia, was another stroke back at 4-under par after shooting a 71.
Estill hasn't won on tour since her rookie season in 1991, while Yang has yet to win in her two seasons on tour.
"It will be fun [today]," said Yang. "I've played with Michelle before and she's such a knowledgeable player, and a great putter. I know I'll learn from this experience."
The two-hour rain delay forced the last few groups to finish in near darkness with the final group completing their rounds nearly at 9 p.m.
The field was cut to the low 70 golfers and ties for today's final round. The cutoff was set at 147 or 3-over par.
Today's final round is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. with the players going out in threesomes and off both the No. 1 and No. 10 tees.
Off to Europe
"We're doing that so that we can finish as early as possible since we have players with air flight connections that are going to Europe next week," said Executive Director Eddie Thomas.
This tournament was also a qualifier for the Weetabix Women's British Open, the LPGA's final major tournament of the season in two weeks.
There were five spots open from the 39 players who had signed up from this field. Nicole Jeray, the veteran professional from Berwyn, Ill., led the list of five qualifiers after shooting a 3-under-par 69 on Saturday to finish 2-under for the tournament, tied for eighth place.
mollica@vindy.com