Kelly Robbins usually struggles to make the cut at the $675,000 Sara Lee Classic. Not this year.
Robbins, who has fine-tuned her consistency with five top-5 finishes and a victory this year, had six birdies in her final 11 holes Saturday to finish with a 6-under 66 for a one-stroke lead after 36 holes.Her best performance in the Sara Lee came in 1995 when she played in the final group but lost to first-time winner Michelle McGann.
Figuring a different approach might help, Robbins flew into Nashville last Sunday after finishing in a tie for third at the Sprint Titleholders Championship in Florida.
"I decided I was going to try to concentrate for a few days and relax and try to enjoy myself, and fortunately, I've been able to shoot some good numbers," she said.
That attitude helped as she had trouble finding the greens and had to scramble early to save par.
One of her best saves came on the par-4 No. 4. Her tee shot hit a tree and bounced back into the fairway, leaving her 223 yards to the hole. She chipped within 4 feet and made the par putt.
"It's a strange week. I haven't hit many greens, but I'm getting up and down quite a bit. I'm used to hitting quite a few greens in regulation and having more birdie opportunities," Robbins said.
"Anytime you play a couple days of golf and be 8-under, hopefully you're in the thick of things."
Cindy Figg-Currier, a 37-year-old Texan who's never won, shot a 66 and was tied for second at 137 with Terry-Jo Myers who had a 67. Kim Saiki, who had a 69, and McGann, who shot a 70, were among four tied at 139.
Robbins finally got her first birdie with a 5-foot putt on No. 8, a par-5. She survived a tee shot into a fairway bunker on No. 9 with a sand wedge to 30 feet and then made the putt.
A 20-foot putt gave her a birdie on the par-5 11th. She strung together three straight birdies starting at No. 14 with her longest putt a 3-footer.
Figg-Currier followed her daughter Kaitland's advice and turned in seven birdies and one bogey to lead the tournament most of the second round.
She started at 2-under and birdied the first four holes to tie first-round leader Helen Alfredsson at 6-under. But Alfredsson, still recovering from hip surgery last November to reattach her right hamstring, struggled Saturday with three bogeys and only two birdies for a 74 that left her at 140.
Figg-Currier gave herself a two-stroke lead at 8-under with one hole left only to three-putt the par-4 closing hole.