Nice Conditions for Webb

Storms took over the U.S. Women’s Open on Friday. First came some thunder from Karrie Webb, then a deluge of rain that turned the second round into a marathon for those chasing her.

At the end of a wet and tiresome day, Webb was in an ideal spot--the early leader after a five-under-par 65, out of the elements and with plenty of time to rest.

That’s not the case for Annika Sorenstam and 104 other players who must return to soggy Pine Needles at dawn today and face as many as 36 holes, or however many holes time allows.

With a 75-foot chip that dropped for birdie and a wedge that stopped 10 inches from the cup, Webb reminded the field why she is the defending champion, the winner of three of the last six majors and still an intimidating presence.

Webb was at five under 135 for a two-stroke lead over A.J. Eathorne and Cindy Figg-Currier, who shared the first-round lead at three under 67.

“You don’t expect to go out on a U.S. Open course and shoot 65, especially not this one,” Webb said. “Having done so really sets me up well for the weekend.”

Eathorne, whose tee time already was delayed by approaching storms, finally got in two holes and scratched out pars when play was stopped for 33 minutes. She got in two more holes when the siren sounded and rain pelted Pine Needles.

Figg-Currier had an easier time. She was among 30 players who never teed off.

Sorenstam, who is going for the second leg of the Grand Slam, bogeyed the second hole before the rains came and was one over for the tournament.

Morgan Pressel, the 13-year-old from Florida, made it to the weekend, but only because rain kept her from finishing her last two holes. She was seven over par for the round, 14 over for the tournament.

“I have to get up early,” she said. “I want to finish my experience here.”

Only five players remained under par. Mi Hyun Kim was at two under through four holes, while Se Ri Pak remained one under after playing two holes.

Juli Inkster struggled off the tee and had a 72, slamming her visor against a pine as she left the scoring trailer. She was at 140, along with Kristi Albers (69).

Such scoring only made Webb’s round that much more impressive.

“Once I got a couple of putts to drop, it made the hole look a bit bigger,” she said.

The hole hardly looked like a manhole on No. 2 after Webb was fooled by the wind and left her six-iron a few yards short of the green. She would have settled for getting the chip close to the cup, but instead watched it bend gently to the left and drop for a birdie.

Brenda Corrie Kuehn, eight months pregnant, played one hole, putting her tee shot in the water on No. 10 before carding a bogey. She shot a nine over 79 in the first round.