Sorenstam sets clubhouse target

Annika Sorenstam set the early clubhouse target in the second round of the Ricoh Women’s British Open at St Andrews today.

But the former world number one had a long wait to see where she stood at halfway in relation to current world number one Lorena Ochoa.

Sorenstam teed off at 6.52am and had added a two-under-par 71 to her opening 72 before Mexican Ochoa had even resumed following her brilliant opening 67.

Ochoa, not due out again until just before noon, remained two clear of the field as she practised, with Swede Louise Friberg and Korean In-Bee Park being joined in second place by American Wendy Ward when she birdied the first and fifth.

Sorenstam was one further back in a tie for fifth with England’s Rebecca Hudson and Japanese star Ai Mizayato, both of whom had still to re-start.

Having lost her position at the top of the rankings earlier this season as she battled with a ruptured and herniated disc in her back Sorenstam has slowly been working herself back to fitness.

The 36-year-old admits she still has some way to go, but there was a flow about her game that was impressive to watch this morning.

Armed with both Tiger Woods’ yardage book from his 2000 and 2005 Open victories on the course – and with a good luck message from him before the start – there was an element of good fortune to her opening birdie.

She slightly pushed her second to the long fifth and found the rough, but her chip rattled into the flagstick and stopped inches away.

Another birdie came on the 154-yard eighth and after bogeying the ninth and 12th she took advantage of the two par fives on the homeward run.

The round of the day looked as if it might be coming from 47-year-old American Juli Inkster when she had an eagle and four birdies in the first 10 holes.

That followed an opening 79, however, and when she bogeyed the 15th Inkster was one over and still seven adrift of Ochoa.

Playing partner Laura Davies, also six over par overnight, mixed five birdies with three bogeys in the first 15 holes, but her chances of surviving the cut then suffered a heavy blow on the Road Hole 17th.

The former champion, now 43, hit her drive just over the out of bounds wall and with her second attempt finding the left-hand rough she chopped her way to a double-bogey seven and was six over again.