Everything Looking Familiar to Brown : LPGA: She leads at StoneRidge after two rounds played in six under par, just like last year, but hopes the similarities to 1989 all end quickly as she heads into the weekend.

She heard it from a course marshal as she entered the press tent after her round.

“Hang onto it,” the marshal said. “Hang onto it.”

Nancy Brown, center of attention, zipped through 18 holes again Friday at StoneRidge in the second day of the LPGA Red Robin Kyocera Inamori tournament. She shot a two-under-par 69, giving her a two-day total of six-under 136.

She is alone in first, two strokes ahead of Missie McGeorge, who started the day one under but shot a 68 to put her at 138. Betsy King and Kris Monaghan are tied for third at 139. A total of 79 golfers made the cut at 147.

Lenore Rittenhouse, who led at six under after Thursday’s play, is back to even at 142 after a 77.

That leaves Brown, who has two days to “hang onto it.”

She has been here before. At StoneRidge. Leading this tournament.

It was last year. In fact, she even signed her name to a score that gave her a 136 after the second day--same as she did Friday. Then, she was tied for first with Laura Davies.

She moved into first alone on the third day with a 70, then shot a 78 and plunged into a tie for 17th on the final day. Twenty-one women passed her.

Now, she is alone--on the leader board and in her thoughts. Alone to face the marshals, the media and everyone else who reminds her of last year.

“But my confidence level has changed, and I try to feed on last year,” she said. “It’s fun to be in a position to win.”

Brown, 28, is in her fifth year on the tour and has never won.

“You just kind of have to figure out for yourself how to do it,” she said.

She’s figuring. She has now shot below par on five of her past six rounds on this course.

Funny thing is, she didn’t even play a practice round this week, saying she was tired. So rest and nine holes in Tuesday’s pro-am were what she used for preparation, and it seems to be working.

She came into the tournament fretting about her concentration--it has been lacking--and putting--it has been inconsistent. So far, the former has been good, the latter fair.

“My concentration has been so much better, and I don’t know why,” she said. “I think I’ve found my timing, and a way to pace myself around the course. I felt comfortable (Friday), like I was in control most of the time.”

She ended up with two bogeys, both on the front nine, and four birdies. Three of the birdies were on the back nine, including the last two holes. On No. 18, she came up with about a 25-foot putt. She also made a 25-footer for birdie on No. 4.

“There were a lot of 10- and 15-footers I didn’t make today, but I did make two longer putts,” she said.

The test today will be to see how Brown does without Sherri Steinhauer in her group. By coincidence, Steinhauer and Brown were in the same threesome for the first two days of the tournament this year and last year.

Steinhauer shot a 152 and failed to make the cut.

“I’m going to have to pay her to follow me around,” Brown joked.

McGeorge, 30, passed 18 players on her way into second. A native of Ft. Worth, Tex., she is in her eighth year on the tour and also still after her first tournament victory.

“I’ve been working pretty hard on my short game lately,” she said. “I’ve started slowly this year--I haven’t had many rounds under par. I’ve just been consistent--nothing great, nothing terrible.”

As for Rittenhouse, who led after Thursday’s round, she just couldn’t seem to shoot straight.

“I just didn’t hit the fairways,” she said. “You’ve got to hit the fairways.

“I don’t think I missed a fairway (Thursday), and it’s tough to count how many I made today. That’s the kind of day it was.”

Golf Notes

Four San Diego-area golfers made the cut: Heather Drew (Solana Beach, 69-74--144), Meg Mallon (Ramona, 75-70--145), Kathryn Young (Coronado, 72-75--147) and Dee Dee Lasker (74-73-147). Jayne Thobois (Oceanside, 75-77--152) and Sharon Barrett (Spring Valley, 79-76--155) didn’t make it. . . . Once again, the weather was cloudy and cool. “The Florida girls were giving the California girls a hard time on the range today,” Mallon said. “They were saying it was sunny in Florida. We told them this keeps tourism down.” . . . Kris Monaghan and Ok-Hee Ku each shot 67, best scores of the day. . . . Because 79 golfers made the cut, and Prime Ticket is televising the tournament today and Sunday, three groups will go out this morning after leader Nancy Brown’s group tees off at 8:30 a.m. . . . Patti Rizzo, last year’s winner, is tied for fifth at two under par. . . . Ayako Okamoto, who won the tournament in 1987 and 1988, is tied for eighth at one under. . . . Jennifer Wyatt and Judy Dickinson each shot a 69 Friday but didn’t make the cut. . . . Lori West was disqualified after failing to turn in her scorecard. . . . Michelle McGann and Laurie Rinker, tied for third after the first round, both dropped Friday. McGann (68 Thursday) shot a 73 and dropped into a tie for eighth, and Rinker (68) shot a six-over 77 and is tied for 34th.