Kim leads Stanford by 2 in LPGA event

ROGERS, Ark. — Song-Hee Kim finished with a 3-under 68 Saturday for a two-shot lead over Angela Stanford at the P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship.

Kim is at 9 under for the tournament heading into the final round.

Stanford shot a 69. Na Yeon Choi shot a 65 for the day’s low round and was tied for third with two other players, a stroke behind Stanford.

Kim hit only 6 of 13 fairways in the second round of the 54-hole event, but she’s in good position to win for the first time on the LPGA Tour. The 21-year-old South Korean has seven top 10 finishes this year.

Sandra Gal was the first-round leader at 7 under, but she shot a 76 Saturday.

Stanford’s season started in promising fashion with a victory at the SBS Open and two more top 10 finishes. In late June, however, she announced that her mother, Nan Stanford, would soon begin chemotherapy for breast cancer.

In her next tournament, Stanford finished tied for 49th. She then missed the cut at the U.S. Women’s Open and finished tied for 52nd at the Evian Masters.

After tying for 20th in the Women’s British Open, Stanford played in the Solheim Cup, and her mother made the trip to Illinois to be with her. Since then, Stanford has finished in the top 10 in two straight tournaments and will try to win this one Sunday on the 6,244-yard course at Pinnacle Country Club.

Jane Park (70) was 5 under and well within striking distance, especially if she can repeat her final-round 62 from this event last year. She finished one shot behind winner Seon Hwa Lee.

Lee (68) is unlikely to repeat at even par, but she did make the cut. So did Cristie Kerr (70) and Michelle Wie (70). They are 3 under, a stroke ahead of Paula Creamer (70), Natalie Gulbis (69) and Morgan Pressel (69).

Stacy Lewis, the 2007 NCAA champion at the University of Arkansas, bounced back with a 67 in the second round after playing the first in 2 over. Kelli Shean, who currently plays for the Razorbacks, also shot a 67 to qualify for Sunday’s final round at 1 over.

Kim played par 5s in 6 under in the first two rounds.