ROGERS -- Michelle Wie beat the rain in plenty of time Saturday to complete her second round of the LPGA Wal-Mart Northwest Arkansas Championship.
The rest of the field is going have a difficult time beating the 24-year-old Wie for a second consecutive week when play resumes today at Pinnacle Country Club.
Strong wind and cloudy skies finally gave way to heavy rain around 4:50 p.m. Saturday, leaving all 72 players who teed off in the afternoon having to come back at 7:30 a.m. today to complete their round.
The cut will be made after those rounds are finished, with groups going off from split tees at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m for the final round.
Wie, who won last week's U.S. Open in Pinehurst, N.C., is comfortable teeing off at any time as she posted her second consecutive 5-under 66 Saturday. Her 10-under total is two shots better than last year's runner-up So Yeon Ryu, who fired her second consecutive 4-under 67.
"My main goal is to be consistent for the entire year and just try and get better every week," Wie said. "I feel like I've been achieving it so far and I just want to keep improving. I'm just going to go out there and try to do the same thing I did today, just attack the holes that I can attack and try to make some putts and try to make a lot of birdies."
Ryu lost in a playoff to Inbee Park in 2013. She will be paired with Wie for the third consecutive day barring any late second-round charge this morning. Denmark's Line Vedel is at 7 under through 13 holes as she completes her round today.
"The thing these days is Michelle's on fire," Ryu said. "I finished third last year at the U.S. Women's Open, I finished fifth this year, so it feels like I can play really well in really tough conditions. I just lost in the playoff [last year] so it feels like this golf course is pretty suited for me, so I'm ready to go low."
Sitting in third at 7 under is Chella Choi and world No. 4 Suzann Pettersen. Choi had a 7-under 29 on the front nine before settling for a 65, while Pettersen had a 4-under 67 to get within three strokes of the seventh-ranked Wie.
"It feels like I leave a few out there but I still made quite a few. A 4-under day is a good score," Pettersen said. "Hopefully they don't get any rain overnight because it doesn't need much rain. Going to need a solid round. It's out there."
Lurking four shots behind Wie in sixth place is world No. 1 Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks), who shot a 5-under 66 Saturday to get to 6 under. Lewis started her round on No. 1o and birdied four holes on the back side. She ran into trouble on the par-3 3rd but made birdies on No. 5 and N0. 9, a 12-foot birdie putt from the side of the green that completed her 66.
"I was a little off yesterday and spent some time on the range last night and kind of got my timing a little bit better," Lewis said. "I felt like I hit some better shots. I just tried to stay patient and made a few more putts."
First-round leader Alena Sharp, who shot a 65 on Friday, did not complete her second round where she was 2 over after 15 holes after a double bogey on the par-5 14th and sits at 4 under for the tournament.
Also unable to compete her second 18 was Park, who was 2 under after Friday and even on Saturday's round after 12 holes. She had got down to even for the tournament after bogeys on Nos. 3 and 7, but birdies on 9 and 12 got her back to 2 under.
Gaby Lopez (Arkansas Razorbacks) is sitting one stroke above the projected even-par cut line. She was 1 under Friday but has five bogeys and three birdies through 14 holes of her second round and sits at 1 over.
Lopez's former teammate Emily Tubert will miss the cut in her first tournament since turning professional. Her 7-over 78 left her 10 over and not close to advancing to today's final round.
Lewis, who finished runner-up to Wie last weekend at the U.S. Open, said today's final round could be as exciting as any at Pinnacle since the tournament started in 2007.
"Michelle's obviously playing some really good golf," Lewis said. "I'm going to have to shoot a good number. This golf course always leads to a little bit of a shootout."
Wie hinted that the thought of winning in consecutive weeks is serving as motivation going into today's final round.
"I just want to kind of get through tomorrow, but at the same time, it is definitely in the back of my mind," she said. "I don't like to plan too far in the future. There's definitely stuff I need to do before that happens. If I can get it done, hopefully it will happen."
Sports on 06/29/2014