GUADALAJARA, Mexico - AFP
American veteran Juli Inkster fired a three-under 69 to share the second-round lead with Sweden's Anna Nordqvist in the $1 million LPGA Lorena Ochoa Invitational tournament. Nordqvist shot a seven-under 65, the best score of the tournament so far, to match Inkster at eight-under 136 at Guadalajara Country Club. "It's still two more rounds, and I'm just happy to be in this position," Nordqvist said of her place in the 36-player competition. "There's a lot of good players up there, and it'll be fun this weekend," added the Swede, whose two wins on the tour came in 2009. "I just kept playing a really solid game, setting up a lot of birdie chances." Inkster, 51, is trying to become the oldest winner in LPGA Tour history, an accolade she could pinch from Beth Daniel who was 46 when she won the 2003 Canadian Women's Open. Inkster, who has 31 career LPGA victories, is a seven-time major champion, but she hasn't won a tournament since 2006. She shot back-to-back birdies on holes 14 and 15 Friday to join Nordqvist in the lead, and although she slipped up with a bogey at 17 and her approach at the par-five 18th went long, she drained a 10-foot return putt for birdie. Scotland's Catriona Matthew (68), Meena Lee (69) and Norway's Suzann Pettersen (70) were one shot back and defending champion I.K. Kim (67) was five under. Former winner Michelle Wie was five shots adrift at three under after shooting a 71, alongside Se Ri Pak (71) and Paula Creamer (71). Top-ranked Yani Tseng of Taiwan was 18th at one-over par after a 69.