RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) — Lorena Ochoa wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry, so she did neither.
She opened the second round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship by missing a 10-foot birdie chance. Then came consecutive misses from about 6 feet, each putt costing her a chance to pull away. The last putt of her second round was from 8 feet, and this was for the outright lead.
"It was pretty much in the middle of the hole," Ochoa said. "And just at the end, it decided to go left and lipid out. I didn't have anymore emotions to show. I was done and ready to go home."
Only when she signed for a 1-under 71 and allowed the shock to wear off from a final putt that rolled around the cup like a horseshoe, did she manage to see the big picture on a glorious afternoon at Mission Hills.
Her name was atop the leaderboard at 5-under 139 at the LPGA's first major of the season, tied with Heather Young, who shot a 70.
This is the same position Ochoa was in at the halfway point last year, then tied with Paula Creamer, among the top-ranked players in women's golf. Now she shares the lead with Young, whose only LPGA Tour victory came 2 1/2 years ago. In eight previous trips to Mission Hills, she has never cracked the top 10, and she arrived this week with expectations lower than ever.
That won't make it any easier for Ochoa.
One shot behind was Maria Hjorth and Mi Hyun Kim, who each shot 70 with vastly different games. Hjorth is among the biggest hitters in women's golf, Kim among the shortest, and having knee surgery over the winter hasn't made Kim any longer.
And it was impossible not to notice Annika Sorenstam, a three-time winner at this major, lurking two shots behind despite playing the back nine with a stomach ailment so severe that she doubled over while speaking to reporters after her round of 70, making her 16-of-16 in rounds under par this year.
But for all the frustration, there was a sense of calm about Ochoa.
"It was a good day. I can't complain," Ochoa said. "I did my best, there were a few putts out there that hurt me, but that's the way it is. It's a major championship. It's playing tough. I'm in a good position, where I like to be starting the weekend."
She had reason to expect much more.
The No. 1 player quickly tied for the lead when she two-putted for birdie on the par-5 second. It looked as though she was getting ready to pull away from the field in a hurry until missing those short birdies on the fifth and sixth holes.
But she opened her back nine with consecutive birdies, and when Sorenstam three-putted for bogey ahead of her on No. 12, Ochoa found herself three shots clear.
She told her caddie, Dave Brooker, to enjoy a beautiful day and ride the momentum.
