Els, 3 others tied at Bay Hill; Seo’s 67 has Kia Classic lead

Associated Press

ORLANDO, FLA.

Ernie Els was like so many others Friday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He was tied for the lead, and not quite sure how he got there.

Els had to play out of the water to save par on the sixth and steady his round of 3-under 69.

Davis Love III didn’t make a par over the first nine holes and shot 71. Ben Curtis started his round of 67 with two straight bogeys. D.J. Trahan had a 68 to join them in a four-way tie for the lead at 7-under 137.

“It’s been kind of weird, but a little surprised that I’m in the lead,” Els said after his 3-under 69. “But you know, we’re there. It should be an interesting weekend, and obviously looking forward to it.”

One shot behind was Phil Mickelson, who is starting to find his putting stroke at just the right time. The evidence came not so much from the 67 he shot at Bay Hill that put him into the thick of contention, but from a casual round earlier this week in the California desert — Mickelson shot a 58, the lowest score of his life.

He made 12 birdies and an eagle at The Plantation Golf Club in Indio, Calif., Mickelson went there because the greens are similar to Bay Hill.

Retief Goosen (67) and Kevin Na (70) also were 6 under.

Kia Classic

CARLSBAD, CALIF.

Hee Kyung Seo, playing on a sponsor’s exemption, shot a 5-under-67 to take the lead while Michelle Wie also shot a 67 to pull into contention after two rounds in the inaugural Kia Classic at La Costa.

The 23-year-old Seo, a South Korean playing in her sixth LPGA tournament, won 11 times on the KLPGA Tour the last two years. Her bogey-free round gave her a two-day total of 7-under 137.

South Korea’s In-Kyung Kim (69) was a stroke back, and Wie, Vicky Hurst (68), Song-Hee Kim (68) and Seon Hwa Lee (71) were 5 under. Wie, trying for her second win as a professional, had six birdies and a bogey.

First-round leader Na On Min stumbled with a 74 to drop into a tie for seventh at 4 under. A day after carding six birdies, she had three bogeys and a double bogey to go along with three birdies.