NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — Annika Sorenstam's pesky missed cut streak finally is history.
The eight-time LPGA Tour player of the year shot a 4-under 67 Saturday in the second round of the Sybase Classic to vault into second place, one stroke behind Gloria Park.
"Obviously, I'm very happy. I get to play Sunday, so that's a good thing. I've improved from last week. Kidding aside, I'm very happy," said Sorenstam, who was at 3-under 139 for two trips around the 6,161-yard Wykagyl Country Club course.
With play wiped out Friday because of heavy rain, and the first round not being completed until Saturday morning, LPGA officials decided to shorten the $1.3 million tournament to 54 holes. The only other time this tournament was shortened to 54 holes was in 2000, the second time Sorenstam won it.
Allison Hanna, who had missed her last four cuts and had a best finish of a tie for 22nd this year, bogeyed two of her last three holes in a 71 that had her at 140.
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Helen Alfredsson had a 66, the day's low round, and was in a group of five tied for fourth at 1 under. Laura Diaz (68), Juli Inkster (69), Seon Hwa Lee (71) and Hee-Won Han (73) also were at 141.
Han had the best round Saturday of the three players who were tied for the first-round lead with 68s. Beth Bauer and ex-Wildcat Natalie Gulbis had second-round 74s.
Sorenstam, also a former UA standout, shot two 73s last week to miss the cut at the Michelob Ultra Open by one stroke. She had last missed a cut in 2002, a run of 69 events. Her cut streak before that was 74, dating to June 1999.
After an opening 72, Sorenstam had promised she was "going to go low" in the second round. A day late because of the rain, she did.
"I made some putts on the back nine," Sorenstam said, referring to 11-foot birdies on Nos. 10 and 12, and an 18-foot par save on the 17th. She also had three birdie putts of 4 feet or less. "I feel like my game is in me. It just hasn't come out. And today I found it on the back nine. I can't really tell you what happened all of a sudden. I don't know what it was, but all of a sudden I rattled (in) some birdies."
It wasn't as if the 35-year-old was struggling this year. She stands sixth on the money list and won the MasterCard Classic in Mexico in May.
"I've had so many sweet runs and things have been going my way for the last five, six years," Sorenstam said. "And now when I look back it, I'm just fortunate it happened. This is golf. I have to remind myself of that every single day."
Park won this event in 2002 in a playoff with Han. Sorenstam missed that playoff by one stroke.
Park has made five of nine cuts this season, with her best finish a tie for 14th at the Franklin American Mortgage Championship two weeks ago.
Park had six birdies Saturday.
PGA Tour
FORT WORTH, Texas — Tim Herron holed a bunker shot for birdie on No. 14, and rebounded from two late bogeys with a birdie on the 18th for a share of the third-round lead in the Colonial with Rod Pampling.
Herron, who won the last of his three PGA Tour victories seven years ago at Bay Hill, shot a 2-under 68 to match Pampling (70) at 10-under 200.
Nathan Green (67), Richard S. Johnson (68) and Peter Lonard (69) were at 9 under, and Bo Van Pelt (67), Henrik Bjornstad (69) and Charley Hoffman (71) were at 8 under.
European Tour
MAYNOOTH, Ireland —Thomas Bjorn made a 40-foot eagle putt on the final hole for a share of the third-round lead with Paul Casey and Anthony Wall in the Irish Open.
Bjorn had a 5-under 67 to match Casey (68) and Wall (70) at 5-under 211. Darren Clarke (67) was a stroke back along with Ross Fisher (69) and Peter Hedblom (70).
