Ochoa shares lead at Kraft

Lorena Ochoa had already watched three birdie putts inside 10 feet tickle the edge of the cup, each one keeping her from seizing control in the Kraft Nabisco Championship.

Standing over an 8-foot birdie on her final hole Friday at Rancho Mirage, Calif., she figured she was due.

But as the fans packed into the bleachers rose to celebrate, the ball dove hard to the left, caught the edge and spun around the cup. No one was more stunned than Ochoa.

“I didn’t have anymore emotions to show,” she said. “I was done and ready to go home. That was the story of my day.”

But she was still atop the leaderboard, and that’s been the story of her year.

Ochoa soon got over the disappointment of having to settle for a 1-under-par 71 to realize she was in great shape going into the weekend of the first major of the year, tied with Heather Young, who overcame a sloppy start with five birdies to salvage a 70.

They were at 5-under 139.

“I can’t complain,” Ochoa said. “I left a few putts out there that hurt, but that’s the way it is. It’s a major championship. You have a couple of days to go. I’m in a good position. It’s where I like to be.”

They were a stroke ahead of Mi Hyun Kim and Maria Hjorth, who both shot 70.

Annika Sorenstam shot her 16th consecutive round under par this year, a 2-under 70 that left her only two shots behind. Sorenstam has not been in this position at a major going into the weekend since winning the U.S. Women’s Open at Newport two years ago.

Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash., shot a 71 and was tied for 29th at 2 over for the tournament.

PGA

Johnson Wagner shot a 3-under 69 to take the outright lead in the Houston Open at Humble, Texas, before an afternoon storm delayed play for an hour and 45 minutes. More rain came later and the second round was suspended at 7:25 p.m. with 36 players still on the course.

Wagner was safely in at 12 under, three ahead of Charley Hoffman (70) and Australian Mathew Goggin, who shot a 64. Chad Campbell was at 7 under after matching Goggin’s 64 in the breezy, sunny morning.

Defending champion Adam Scott, who shared the first-round lead with Wagner after they set the course record with 9-under 63s, had five bogeys and a double in a 76.

Phil Mickelson beat the bad weather and shot a 68, but he was eight behind the leader, who’s looking for his first victory in 45 career starts.

John Daly withdrew, citing a back injury.

Champions Tour

Mark Wiebe shot a course-record 5-under 67 to take a two-stroke lead in the Cap Cana Championship at Punta, Cana, the first pro golf event in the Dominican Republic.

Vicente Fernandez and Fulton Allem opened with 69s in windy conditions on the Jack Nicklaus designed-Punta Espada course. The 25 mph wind led to an average score of 74.688, the highest opening-round mark this season.