SportsTicker
Saturday, November 4

OTSU, Japan -- Vicki Goetze-Ackerman and Sophie Gustafson of Sweden were tied for the lead after the second round of the $850,000 Mizuno Classic at the Seta Golf Course on Saturday.

Goetze-Ackerman, who last won a tournament as a mini-tour player in 1994, fired a career-low 6-under-par 66. That effort was tied by Gustafson, who captured her first two LPGA titles this season. Both golfers have a two-round total of 9-under-par 135.

Japan LPGA Tour memebers Yuri Fudoh, who has won six times on the Asian circuit this season, and Kasumi Fujii are tied at 8-under 136.

Goetze-Ackerman rebounded from an early three-putt to record seven birdies, including four in a row on holes 11 through 14. Her previous low round on the LPGA Tour was a 67, done four times. She is having her most successful season despite a "less-than-perfect swing."

"I switched teachers recently, and there was a process of working on my swing where things finally became much better," said Goetze-Ackerman, who won the U.S. Women's Amateur in 1989 and 1992 and was the 1992 NCAA Champion. "I'm still not swinging quite the way I want to. I don't have a whole lot of confidence as far as that goes. But tomorrow is a new day. I could go out and find my perfect swing. I'm just going to take it one hole at a time and see what happens."

Gustafson, a rookie in 1999, led wire-to-wire at the Chick-Fil-A Championship in April.

"I just want to post a good score," Gustafson said. "Hopefully, I'll make a few putts and we'll see what happens. Of course, winning is the goal."

Fudoh, who owns six JLPGA victories, shot a sparkling 7-under 65 today. She has earned more than $1 million on her home tour this year, more than twice as much as the second-place money winner. A victory on Sunday would give Fudoh the biggest paycheck of her career, $127,500, and a two-year membership on the LPGA Tour. She would be the first non-LPGA member to win the co-sponsored event since Woo-Soon Ko in 1994.

"Today was too good," said Fudoh, who captained the winning JLPGA Team at last week's World Ladies Challenge. "I surprised myself. My target score was a 70."

Britain's Joanne Morley is two shots off the lead at 7-under 137 with defending champion Maria Hjorth and JLPGA member Midori Yoneyama. Toshimi Kimura, Lorie Kane, and Rachel Hetherington are tied at 138.

LPGA stars Karrie Webb and Annika Sorenstam decided to skip the event. Sorenstam was in Chiba this past weekend for the World Ladies Challenge, which the United States lost to Japan.