The U.S. LPGA squad made a solid start Friday in its bid to for a 16th straight title at the Cisco World Ladies Challenge golf tournament, taking a two-point lead over the Japanese LPGA team on the opening day of the annual contest.
Cristie Kerr and Becky Iverson beat Junko Yasui and U.S. tour regular Akiko Fukushima 68-70 to lead the U.S. side, which added three more wins for a 4-2 lead after the first round played in a four-ball, best-ball format at the Sosei Country Club.
JLPGA money rankings leader Yuri Fudo and Taiwan's Tseng Hsiu-feng edged Carin Koch and Nancy Scranton 67-68 and Midori Yoneyama and Aki Takamura beat Lorie Kane and Pak Se Ri to give Japan the lead before the U.S side took the last three rounds.
"Obviously we're disappointed with the result. I felt that there was a difference in the quality of the U.S. team's game and our own," said Fudo, the captain of the Japanese team.
Murota lights it up
TOJO, Hyogo Pref. (Kyodo) Overnight co-leader Kiyoshi Murota fashioned a 2-under-par 70 Friday to open up a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Philip Morris Championship.
Murota, seeking to end a six-year title drought, carded three birdies against one bogey over the ABC Golf Club's 7,176-yard par-72 course to stand one shot ahead of Mitsutaka Kusakabe with a 36-hole total of 7-under 137.
Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki's eldest son, Tomomharu, ballooned out to an 11-over 83 for 152 and will not be on the course for Saturday's third round.