GOLF ROUNDUP: Kerr rides 3-birdie streak to take Women’s Open lead

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Cristie Kerr knows the emotion of winning a U.S. Women’s Open, and she wants to experience it again — preferably this week.

Two years after winning the national championship, the 31-year-old Kerr is in position again.

She strung together three birdies on the front nine Friday in a round of 1-under 70 to take a one-stroke lead over Paula Creamer after two rounds of the Women’s Open. Creamer, looking for her first Women’s Open title, carded a 3-under 68 after an opening 72 and was alone in second at 2-under 140.

“It’s great to know that I’ve won one, and I know I can do it on the weekend,” Kerr said. “I feel very comfortable.”

Futures Tour player Jean Reynolds is third after a 72 for a 1-under 141.

First-round leader Na Yeon Choi of South Korea shot a 3-over 74 and was tied with Giulia Sergas of Italy at even par. Sergas had the lowest round of the day, a 4-under 67.

Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa struggled to a round of 8-over 79 and stood at 6-over for the championship.

The final two rounds will be spiced with a bit of old and new. Former champion Laura Davies, playing on a special exemption, made the cut, as did 14-year-old amateur Alexis Thompson, who is in contention after a 73 put her at 2-over and tied for eighth.

The focus Friday was back on golf, a marked change after the event was overshadowed all week by a dispute between some LPGA Tour players and commissioner Carolyn Bivens. The New York Times, citing a source, reported on Friday that Bivens originally planned to fight the move to force her out, but had decided to step down after the Open concludes.

But the narrow fairways and speedy undulating greens at the Old Course demanded the players’ attention as the cut line fell at 9-over.

Not feeling her best at the start, Kerr opened with a bogey and four pars. She began feeling better on the 13th — she started on the back nine — and hit stride on the 15th through 17th.

Kerr rolled in putts of 9, 3 and 8 feet for her run of birdies and, after a pair of bogeys to open her back nine, made birdie putts of 15 and 12 feet on the way in to maintain the lead.

Creamer is coming off a thumb injury that forced her to miss the last two tournaments but there was no sign the sore thumb is affecting her play at Saucon Valley.

She started the day 1-over, and moved into red numbers after back-to-back birdies at the ninth and 10th. Her round included five birdies, two bogeys and 11 pars, good enough for sole possession of second, her best standing after two rounds in an Open.

Reynolds continued to be the surprise of the event. A two-time winner this year on the Futures Tour — and its leading money winner — she overcame hitting just nine of 14 fairways.

Champions Tour 3M

BLAINE, Minn. — Andy Bean and Nick Price each shot a 7-under 65 on Friday and are tied for the lead after the first round of the Champions Tour’s 3M Championship.

Using a new driver, Bean, who has two second-place finishes this year, was 5 under through seven holes, and birdied three of his last four holes.

Price shot a 30 on the back nine, including four straight birdies.

PGA Europe Scottish Open

LUSS, Scotland — Retief Goosen came close to matching his course record at Loch Lomond, settling for an 8-under 63 Friday to build a two-shot lead over Adam Scott midway through the second round of the Scottish Open. Goosen set the course record of 62 in 1997.

Deere Classic

SILVIS, Ill. — The second round of the John Deere Classic was postponed Friday due to heavy rain and is rescheduled for today.

Tournament officials were hoping to begin play at 4 p.m. after several delays. They called the round off entirely about 20 minutes before the first groups were scheduled to tee off.

By then, the sun was out and most of the clouds had disappeared. But the course was simply too wet, so officials moved the round back a day and scheduled 36 holes for Sunday.

Two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen and Darron Stiles are tied for the lead after shooting 7-under 64 on Thursday.