(Sports Network) - Yuri Fudoh and Ji-Yai Shin earned a share of the lead midway through the Women's British Open on Friday, while 48- year-old Juli Inkster fell a shot back and Annika Sorenstam rebounded to make the cut. Among the top players on their Asian tours, Fudoh and Shin both shot rounds of four-under 68 to take the lead at 10-under 134, which matched the 36-hole tournament scoring record.

Inkster, a seven-time major champion and the oldest player in the field at age 48, followed up her bogey-free 65 on Thursday with a round of 70 that included five birdies, but also a bogey and a double-bogey at the par-four 12th.

She was at nine-under 135, still in good position to become the oldest winner of a major.

"I didn't hit is as well as I hit it yesterday," said Inkster, who has never finished better than fourth at the Women's British Open, "but I still managed my game."

Former U.S. Women's Open champion Cristie Kerr had the best round of the day, a seven-under 65 that moved her into a share of fourth place with Bo Bae Song (68) at eight-under 136.

World No. 1 and defending champion Lorena Ochoa, who broke through for her first career major at St. Andrews last year, shot a 68 to share sixth place with Japanese star Ai Miyazato (69) and Natalie Gulbis (68).

Gulbis posted one of the earliest good scores on Friday, though it was marred by a three-putt bogey at the 18th in the middle of a downpour at Sunningdale Golf Club.

"It wasn't the way I wanted to end such a good round," said Gulbis, last year's Evian Masters champion.

Sorenstam ended her round in about the same position as Thursday: slightly better than middle-of-the-pack following another even-par 72.

After making three consecutive bogeys on the front nine, Sorenstam looked like she might miss the cut in what could be her last major. But she rebounded with three straight birdies from the ninth hole to make it by two shots.

Set to retire at the end of the season, Sorenstam is probably too far out of contention to challenge for her 11th major championship. She has only claimed one Women's British Open title, in 2003.

Sorenstam, who has avoided using the word "retirement" since announcing she would step away from the game at the end of the year, has struggled since that announcement.

After winning her third title of 2008 at the Michelob Ultra Open in May, Sorenstam has finished outside the top 10 in five of six tournaments.

"I'm really not sure what it is," said Sorenstam.

Fudoh, the first player on the Japan LPGA Tour to earn more than the equivalent of $10 million in her career, played in a threesome with Ochoa and 2007 Kraft Nabisco champion Morgan Pressel.

The 31-year-old made strides up the leaderboard by going four-under over three holes from the eighth, ending with an eagle at the par-five 10th. Fudoh held a two-shot lead after making birdie at the 16th, but fell back to 10-under with a closing bogey at the 18th.

The only Japanese player to win a major championship was Chako Higuchi at the 1977 LPGA Championship.

"This course looks a little bit like some Japanese courses," Fudoh said through a translator. "You know, the remaining two days is still a long way, and I'm just thinking about doing my best on each hole."

Just like Fudoh, Shin posted three birdies, an eagle and a bogey for her 68 on Friday. A top player on the Korean LPGA Tour, Shin also made her eagle at the par-five 10th, then went on to birdie the 14th and 16th to join Fudoh in the lead.

"My plan was every hole to save par," said the 20-year-old Korean, "but I made three birdies and one eagle. Today, I drove and putted well."

The co-leaders tied the 36-hole scoring record set by Emilee Klein at Woburn in 1996 and matched by Jeong Jang when she won at Royal Birkdale in 2006.

Laura Diaz also matched a record by making three eagles in a round of even-par 72. She became only the third player in LPGA Tour history to collect three eagles in the same round, and only the second since 1979.

Pressel, Pat Hurst, Carin Koch and Grace Park were among the players who missed the cut.



Copyright 2008 The Sports Network
All rights reserved