Munoz shares lead with Miyazato thru 36 holes of LPGA Lotte Championship

Spain's Azahara Munoz shot an 8-under 64 in blustery conditions Thursday for a share of the second-round lead with Japan's Ai Miyazato in the LPGA Lotte Championship.

Munoz, winless on the LPGA Tour, holed out from 102 yards for eagle on the par-4 sixth hole and had eight birdies -- four on the last five holes -- and a bogey on the Ko Olina course. Miyazato, a seven-time winner on the tour, had a bogey-free 65 to match Munoz at 8 under.

Munoz, the 2008 NCAA champion at Arizona State, birdied the par-5 14th and par-4 15th, parred the par-3 16th, then closed with two more birdies on the par-4 17th and 18th. She was 5 under on the first six holes, making birdies on Nos. 1, 3 and 5, the eagle on No. 6 and a bogey on No. 2.

"On six, I holed my second shot and then hit another two like that close," Munoz said, holding her hands about a foot apart. "It was a really nice round."

Miyazato had only 25 putts.

"My putting was really good today," Miyazato said. "I hit really solid on so many putts and I hit the ball well. I didn't miss any fairways. My short game was really good, too. That's why I shot 7 under."

Jimin Kang and Cristie Kerr were 6 under. Kang had a 66, and Kerr a 68.

Yani Tseng, the top-ranked Taiwanese star who has won three of the first six events this year, had a 72 to drop into a tie for 12th at 3 under.

Local favorite Michelle Wie missed the cut for the third straight event, following her opening 78 with a 76. She had a quadruple-bogey 9 on the par-5 first -- her 10th hole of the round.

Wie also played poorly in no-cut events in Thailand and Singapore. Coming into this week, she was 119th in scoring average at 75.42 and had only one round in the 60s. Once one of the longest players in women's golf, Wie is 44th in driving distance (255 yards) and 137th in driving accuracy (43 percent).