LPGA CHAMPIONSHIP Rosales takes lead, first major in sight

Grace Park and Annika Sorenstam are two shots behind.
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) -- Jennifer Rosales and Grace Park have been friends and rivals since they first met at a junior golf tournament when they were 12.
Rosales won the NCAA title at Southern California as a freshman in 1998. Park led Arizona State to the team title that season and was voted player of the year.
"We're competitors," Park said. "I've beaten her a lot, and she's beaten me a lot over the years."
Park won the first LPGA major of the year at the Kraft Nabisco Championship. Rosales wonders if she's next.
Might be Rosales' time
The 25-year-old Filipino, still basking in her first LPGA Tour victory last month in Atlanta, took a small step Thursday in the LPGA Championship. Her bogey-free round of 5-under 66 at difficult DuPont Country Club gave her a one-shot lead over Karen Stupples, Gloria Park and Chiharu Yamaguchi.
"My round was pretty smooth today," Rosales said. "I hit a lot of fairways. That was the key. I missed a lot of putts out there. I kept putting and putting until I made some and kept going."
It took her all the way to the lead, the first time she has ever led an LPGA event after the first round. And Rosales knows it's just that -- one round.
"It's a pretty good start for me," Rosales said.
But all she had to do was look down the leaderboard to realize how much can change over 54 holes, especially with defending champion Annika Sorenstam and Grace Park, her old nemesis, just two shots behind.
They were at 68; although, they arrived in entirely different fashion. Sorenstam got mad and closed with two birdies. Park got lucky, then wound up finishing with two bogeys.
Disappointing finish
Park, who lost to Sorenstam in a playoff last year at the McDonald's LPGA Championship, liked her position -- just not the way she finished.
Tied for the lead at five-under, Park hit her tee shot on the par-5 16th so far right that she worried she might not find it. It was spotted in a drainage ditch, allowing her a free drop, and she was fortunate to hack it out under the trees and into the fairway with a 7-iron.
Park still had a 4-iron into the green, but she handled that with ease and nearly walked off with birdie.
But she punched a 6-iron into the bunker on No. 17 and made bogey, then pulled a 4-iron left of the 18th green, chipped to 10 feet and dropped to her knees when the par putt hung on the edge of the cup.
"This is not the finish I wanted to have," Park said. "I'm disappointed and frustrated, but that's golf. That's major championships. You can't miss a shot and expect to save par every time."
Se Ri Pak, a two-time winner of the LPGA, and Cristie Kerr were in a large group at 69. Juli Inkster birdied the last two holes to join Beth Daniel among those at 70.