| LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England (AP) - Juli Inkster labored to a par 72 Friday but held on to her three-stroke lead at the Women's British Open.
Having picked up five strokes on the four par-5s in her opening round 66, Inkster struggled off the tee.
‘‘Yesterday I drove the ball really good on the par-5s and was in perfect position to attack them. Right now I'm struggling with the driver and hitting them to the right a little bit,'' said Inkster, who finished the second round at 6-under 138.
That was three ahead of Italy's Silvia Cavalleri, who played later, and Australia's Lindsey Wright, who was 3-under after 15 holes.
‘‘It was very tough this morning, breezy and cold,'' said Inkster, a 46-year-old American who is aiming to become the oldest LPGA player to win a major.
Inkster already has seven majors, the first two coming in 1984 and the last, the U.S. Open, four years ago.
Of the other leading contenders in the field, Annika Sorenstam shot a 71 and is 1 under after 36 holes, while Lorena Ochoa is 3 under with a 73. Michelle Wie, who had a first-round 74, and Karrie Webb, who shot a 76, went out later.
Sorenstam, who began at even par, made a charge from the sixth, when she birdied five of six holes. Her chances of getting close to Inkster's score were hampered when her tee shot at the eighth hole landed in a pot bunker and she made a double-bogey six.
She also made a bogey five at 17, where she had a double-bogey on Thursday.
Se Ri Pak, a five-time major winner who returned to form to capture this year's McDonald's LPGA Championship, withdrew with a neck injury Friday.
The 2001 Women's British Open champion from South Korea shot 6-over 78 in the first round. She came to the course Friday and told officials she could not play because of the injury.
Pak, who won two majors in her first season on the LPGA Tour in 1998, has been dogged by neck, shoulder, lower back and finger injuries in the past year. Last year at Royal Birkdale, she pulled out with the finger injury in the first round after playing nine holes.
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