LPGA Tournament : Lopez Shoots a 67, Leads by 4

Nancy Lopez came back from a rain delay, recovered from a water hazard and repelled several challengers Friday to post a five-under-par 67 and take a four-shot lead midway through the $210,000 Henredon Ladies Professional Golf Assn. tournament.

Lopez has a total of 133, the lowest 36-hole score in the five years of the Henredon event. In second place is Jane Geddes, who had a 67 on the water-logged Willow Creek Golf Club course.

“It was pretty much a day like Thursday,” Lopez said. “I felt really consistent with my shot-making. After the rain delay, I struggled a little bit. Finally, I started to hit the ball well again, and it just all came back to me.”

After playing five holes, Lopez had to endure a 30-minute shower that dumped three-quarters of an inch of rain on the course. Once the rain subsided, Lopez continued her assault and promptly ran into trouble.

She pushed her tee shot on the ninth hole into a water hazard and took a one-shot penalty for a bogey. Lopez, the second leading money winner on the tour, got that stroke back when she hit her second shot on the 10th hole within inches of the cup and birdied.

“I didn’t hit a good tee shot. I was just trying to get the momentum back,” she said. “I told my caddy that I think I found it.”

Dale Eggeling, who was tied with Lopez at 66 after the first round, had a 73 for a total of 139.