Sorenstam kept at bay by Teske's birdie run

Rachel Teske and Jean Bartholomew climbed the leaderboard to share the second-round lead in the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic here, with Annika Sorenstam a stroke behind.

Bartholomew equalled the course record on Saturday with an eight-under 64 to go to nine-under overall with Teske, who fired a 65. Sorenstam, who also hit a 65, was a shot back along with Joanne Mills and Jennifer Rosales, who also matched the competitive record at the Squaw Creek Country Club with a 64.

Three weeks after becoming the first woman in 58 years to play in a PGA Tour event, Sorenstam is chasing a third consecutive LPGA victory. She won the Kellogg-Keebler two weeks ago and took the LPGA Championship last week for her fifth major victory. Sorenstam, who started the day in joint 19th after a first-round 71, recorded birdies at the first three holes and then closed the front side with three more. The run took Sorenstam briefly into sole possession of the lead. But then the challengers started coming in.

Teske has also been on a roll - she finished tied for third in last week's LPGA Championship. She recorded a birdie at the second hole then strung together four in a row starting at the par-five fifth. She had three more birdies on the back nine with her only slip coming at the 14th.

Bartholomew recovered well from a poor start to her first round, which included a triple-bogey on the 12th. She started her turnaround with birdies on the next two holes and finished with a 71. In the second round, she had four birdies on both the front and back nine without a bogey to come within a shot of the lowest round in her seven years on tour.

Rosales, fourth at last year's British Open, matched Sorenstam's six birdies on the front side while also shooting a 64. She nearly aced her final hole, leaving a nine-iron on the 134-yard, par-three ninth hole on the lip. Mills also played without a bogey in shooting a 66 to join the three-way tie at second.

The 1998 Giant Eagle winner, Se Ri Pak, shot a 66 to tie for sixth with Pat Hurst, who had her second 69. First-round leader Minny Yeo followed a 68 with a 74 and was at 142. The defending champion Mi-Hyun Kim shot a 70 and was at 143.

GIANT EAGLE LPGA CLASSIC (Vienna, Oh) Leading second-round scores (US unless stated): 135 J Bartholomew 71 64; R Teske (Aus) 70 65. 136 J Rosales 72 64; A Sorenstam (Swe) 71 65; J Mills (Aus) 70 66. 138 S Ri Pak (Kor) 72 66; P Hurst 69 69. 139 K Parker Manzo 69 70. 140 H Alfredsson (Swe) 72 68; H Lunke 71 69; D Pepper 70 70; C Nilsmark (Swe) 69 71; M Baena (Col) 69 71. 141 C Matthew (GB) 71 70; Jeong Jang (Kor) 71 70; J Lidback 71 70; B Bauer 71 70; L Kane 70 71; M Redman 70 71.