Rain halts action at LPGA tourney; Wie 5-under par



Dorothy Delasin was the leader in the clubhouse.
HAVRE DE GRACE, Md. (AP) -- Michelle Wie had a revelation as she watched birdie putts keep falling into the cup Friday in the LPGA Championship, even though they didn't belong to her.
"It was like, 'Oh, the ball can go in the hole,"' she said.
Wie eventually made enough of her own for a 4-under 68 that allowed her to keep pace with Dorothy Delasin and climb into the hunt at Bulle Rock Golf Club on a beautiful morning that yielded to the rumble of afternoon storms.
Delasin ran off five birdies in a six-hole stretch to build a big lead, only to give most of it back by hooking her tee shot into the woods for a double bogey and chunking a chip out of an old divot that led to bogey on one of the easiest holes. She wound up with a 1-under 71 and was the clubhouse leader at 6-under 138.
Thunderstorms halted play for five hours, and half the field didn't finish the second round when it was suspended by darkness. With a moon visible in darkening skies, Pat Hurst was at 8 under through 10 holes.
Sorenstam didn't finish
Annika Sorenstam, who joined Wie at a listless 71 in the first round, also was headed in the right direction. She made two birdies in eight holes and was at 3 under. The three-time defending champion will have to play 28 holes Saturday, weather permitting.
Wie still didn't get much out of another superb game from the tee box and fairways. She was poised to get into the lead when she hit a knockdown 6-iron up the hill and into a stiff breeze into 10 feet, but missed the birdie putt. And she was 30 feet away, pin-high and just off the green on the par-5 eighth, until hitting a pedestrian chip and missing the 6-foot birdie.
She wound up at 5-under 139.
"I'm playing really well right now, and if I can just get things going, I think I can shoot really low out here," said Wie, who has been under par in all six rounds at Bulle Rock dating to last year, when she was the runner-up.
First round leader stumbles
Nicole Castrale, who began this major with a career-best 64, stumbled to a 75 and joined Wie in the group at 139 with Mi Hyun Kim (71) and Shi Hyun Ahn (70).
Kraft Nabisco champion Karrie Webb also loomed on the leaderboard. Webb holed out for eagle from 115 yards on the 16th hole and was poised to catch Delasin until catching a bad lie on the restart and taking bogey. She wound up with a 70 and was at 4-under 140, along with Se Ri Pak (69), who is slowly returning to form.
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