Sorenstam Trails by a Stroke

Rachel Teske and Jean Bartholomew climbed the leaderboard Saturday to share the second-round lead in the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic, with Annika Sorenstam a stroke behind.

Bartholomew tied the course record with an eight-under-par 64 to match Teske (65) at nine-under 135.

Sorenstam, who also had a 65, was a shot back along with Joanne Mills and Jennifer Rosales, who also matched the competitive record at Squaw Creek Country Club with a 64.

Three weeks after becoming the first woman in 58 years to play in a PGA Tour event, Sorenstam is chasing a third consecutive LPGA victory. She won the Kellogg-Keebler two weeks ago and took the LPGA Championship last week for her fifth major victory.

Sorenstam birdied the first three holes and then closed the front side with three more birdies. She holed a 45-foot birdie putt at No. 2 and left a 30-foot eagle putt at No. 8 just inches short.

She climbed from a tie for 19th after her opening 71 to sole possession of the lead, adding two more birdies on the backside to offset a three-putt bogey at the 14th hole.

But then the challengers started coming in.

Teske has also been on a roll, finishing tied for third in the LPGA Championship. She birdied the second hole then strung together four birdies in a row starting at the par-five fifth. She had three more birdies on the back with her only slip also coming at the 14th.

Bartholomew righted herself after a triple-bogey in the first round. Angry about a ruling she disagreed with concerning a free drop out of casual water, she ended up four-putting the par-three 12th hole.

She started her turnaround with birdies on the next two holes and shot a 71 in the first round.

In the second round, she had four birdies on each nine without a bogey.