GOLF / LPGA AT POWAY : Brown Shoots 69 and Leads by Two

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

“Hang onto it,” the marshal said.

Nancy Brown zipped through 18 holes again Friday at StoneRidge Country Club in Poway in the second day of the LPGA Red Robin Kyocera Inamori golf tournament. She shot a 69, two under par, for a two-day total of 136, six under. And that gave her the lead.

She is two strokes ahead of Missie McGeorge, who started the day one under but shot a 68 for 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 Thursday, is even at 142 after going six over Friday.

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

She has been here before. At StoneRidge. Leading the pack in this tournament.

In fact, it was last year. She even signed her name to a six-under 136 after the second day--just as she did this year. Then she was tied for first with Laura Davies.

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

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,” she said. “And I try to feed on last year.

“It’s fun to be in a position to win.”

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

She has now been under par in 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 as preparation, and it seems to be working.

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