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Friday, September 1

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Illinois native Nancy Scranton felt right at home, using her best round in nearly three months to grab a share of the lead after Friday's first round of the State Farm Rail Classic.

	Karrie Webb had six birdies and two bogeys during her opening round.

Scranton holed a bunker shot for her fifth straight birdie on the back nine during a 6-under 66 at the Rail Golf Course. She is tied for the lead with Laurel Kean, Lorie Kane and defending champion Mi Hyun Kim.

The quartet shares a one-shot advantage over Kristi Albers, while Karrie Webb -- coming off her sixth win of the year -- is one of three players who shot 4-under 68s and trail the leaders by two strokes.

"I'm very satisfied with how I played today," Webb said. "I made a lot of good putts and I missed a few. It could've been lower and it could have been higher."

She had six birdies and two bogeys.

"There were some pretty tough pins out there," Webb said. "They're stuck on little swells or just over them. I think definitely they're trying to keep the scoring down a little bit."

Born in nearby Centralia, Ill., Scranton missed the cut in four of her last six starts and finished no better than 44th in the other two. Friday's round was her best since a 68 on the first day of the Evian Masters on June 15.

"It was really fun today," said Scranton, who captured the Memorial of Naples in January and is 24th on the money list. "I've been fighting for a month or so. It seemed like I'd play well but I'd have a bad swing here or there, and I was really paying for it."

There were no bad swings Friday as the 1983 Illinois Women's champion made seven birdies and a bogey.

"This is my home tournament, this and St. Louis," Scranton said. "I have a lot of friends here. It's different now that my parents are gone. And my friends all have kids in school. I've always played decent here."

Starting at the 10th tee, she was just 1-under through through 12 holes before catching fire. Solid iron play set up five straight birdie putts, none longer than 15 feet.

"I've had four or five before," she said. "I know I've been 6-under on seven holes once. I don't think I've ever made more than five. I was scraping it out there. I just didn't hit it as well as I could. I was starting to get frustrated out there, but I hit good shots coming in."

Scranton is eighth in the standings for the U.S. Solheim Cup team with three weeks remaining before the roster is finalized.

"I think (making the team) was too much in the forefront of my mind for a while," she said. "This is the first time I've really had a chance. I think I started looking ahead too much. I need to focus on what's right at hand, step back and take it one shot at a time."

Kean's struggle is simply to avoid a return to Qualifying School. She qualified for this event by winning a Monday playoff and has finished no better than 63rd this season.

"I really don't want to go back to Q-School," Kean said. "But it goes by money list, so I have to finish pretty high up. You guys are asking me about winning, but I just enjoyed today. I had friends out watching. I hope to just keep enjoying what's going on."

Kane had no trouble with the weather, which produced a heat index of 100 degrees. She captured her first LPGA victory under similar conditions last month in St. Louis.

"It was about this hot in St. Louis, maybe hotter," said Kane. "I think in warmer weather, I keep my mind on trying to stay cool, nothing else. Of course, your body is nice and warm, so you're not stiff at all. Maybe I'm not concentrating so much or worrying about what's happening, just staying patient. If you get anxious in weather like this, it can wear you out."

Kim was the first of the leaders to complete her round today, making seven birdies after opening with a bogey.

"I like this course," said Kim, who posted a one-stroke victory last year over Janice Moodie and Pearl Sinn. "I just have only good feelings here. Even on difficult holes, I just hit a good shot to the middle of the green, at the pin."