Chris Johnson happily found a hot hand on a day the golf course rewarded good shots.
Johnson shot a 7-under-par 65 Saturday for a course record 36-hole total of 134 and a one-stroke lead over first-round leader Dottie Pepper in the Safeway LPGA Golf Championship.Johnson's 134 was one stroke better than the previous record held by Kris Monaghan in 1987 and Tina Barrett in 1992 on the 6,294-yard Columbia-Edgewater Country Club course.
"I had a lot of touch out there today," said Johnson, who has seven wins in 17 years on the LPGA tour. "I sank five putts in the 20-foot range and that really helps.
"The greens were real fast, but they weren't bumpy. They were true, which really helps," she said. "It's nice to be rewarded when you make good strokes."
Perfect weather conditions helped a record 36 players finish 36 holes under par (144). Behind Johnson and Pepper came Tammie Green, Cathy Johnson-Forbes and Stefania Crocie of Italy, all at 137. In all, 13 players were within six strokes of Johnson.
"That puts a little pressure on you," Pepper said after shooting a 70. "But it also lets you know there are birdies out there to be had and you just have to wait until you run across them."
Pepper didn't have the putting touch she had Friday when she shot a 65, but she feels good going into today's final round.
"Overall, I didn't play as well," said Pepper, who has won 10 tournaments in nine years. "It wasn't bad. . . . I had my chances. Hopefully I got my shaky round out of the way today. I like where I am. I just need to continue what I am doing."