Angela Stanford leads LPGA Founders Cup (AP)

PHOENIX (AP)—Angela Stanford shot her second straight 6-under 66 to open a
three-stroke lead over Brittany Lincicome on Saturday in the LPGA Founders Cup.

Stanford, the 33-year-old who has four victories in 10 full seasons on the
tour, is playing for her own foundation in the charity event at Wildfire Golf
Club.

Instead of paying the players, the tournament honoring the 13 tour founders
is donating $1 million to charity—half to The LPGA Foundation and its
LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program and half to the top-10 finishers’ designated
charities.

“I play with the guys at Shady Oaks in the 1 o’clock and I’m out there
trying to beat them—and they’re out there to enjoy the weekend,” Stanford
said. “It always matters to me. I don’t care if it’s for money. I don’t care if
it’s for money for my charity or for the LPGA Foundation. I don’t care what’s
it’s for. If you tell me it’s official and I have a chance to compete to win
something, I’m going to show up.”

Stanford’s foundation provides scholarships for children from families
affected by cancer. The winner will receive $200,000 to donate.

“It would do wonders for my foundation,” Stanford said. “We could help a
lot of kids a lot faster than I thought we would. There’s a lot on the line in
that respect.”

The long-hitting Lincicome followed her opening 67 with a 68, holing an
8-foot par putt on No. 18 just before dark.

“I just putted lights out,” said Lincicome, Stanford’s U.S. Solheim Cup
teammate. “My driver let me down today, but my putter saved me.”

The three-time tour winner was frustrated by the pace of play in the round
that took about 5 1/2 hours to finish.

“I’ve never waited that much in my life,” she said. “We waited about 20
minutes on every tee shot.”

Mindy Kim birdied the first five holes and finished with a 67 to reach 8
under.

Cristie Kerr, also a U.S. Solheim Cup player, was another stroke back after
a 68. She rallied to beat Stanford twice in 2006, overcoming a four-stroke
deficit in the final round in Tennessee and an eight-stroke margin in the
Canadian Women’s Open.

“Anything can happen on Sunday,” Kerr said. “It’s a different feel when
you’re playing in the last group, especially with the lead, because you tighten
up and try to protect it. And I can stick with my game plan. It depends on the
pins and the conditions tomorrow, but sure anything five and in is doable.”

In 2006 at London Hunt in Ontario, Kerr closed with a 7-under 65, while
Stanford bogeyed the final two holes—three-putting the last—for a 74.
Stanford began that round with a four-stroke lead over Meena Lee.

“I learned a lot in those two losses. People say you learn more in a loss
than a victory,” Stanford said. “Not that I played scared, but if there was
pin tucked left, the first day you’re probably going at it. Well, if you have a
five-, six- or seven-shot lead on the final day, you may go at the middle of the
green. For me, I learned that when I did that, it wasn’t very successful.

“I learned that I have to keep hitting golf shots. You can’t just say, `I’m
going to go out and make 18 pars and hope I win.’ I think I was still maturing
as a player at the time and I didn’t know what it took to win.”

While many players have had struggled to adjust to their approach shots
releasing on the firm greens, Stanford is right at home on the sun-baked layout.
She grew up near Fort Worth, played at TCU and still lives in the area.

“Fortunately for me, I’ve always played release,” Stanford said. “I’m not
one that spins the ball a whole lot. So, it doesn’t bother me if it releases 5
or 25 feet. I think for me that’s good because I expect it already. … I’ve
seen it my whole life.”

She played in the morning before the wind picked up a bit on the partly
cloudy, 80-degree day at Desert Ridge.

Hall of Famer Karrie Webb, the winner three weeks ago in Singapore, shot a
67 in the afternoon to match Seon Hwa Lee (69) and Mina Harigae (70) at 6 under.
Webb won the last Phoenix event in 2009 at Papago and also won in 1999 at Moon
Valley.

Top-ranked Yani Tseng, the winner of the season-opening LPGA Thailand and
three other worldwide events this year, had her second straight 73 to make the
cut by a stroke at 2 over. No. 2 Jiyai Shin was 2 under after a 70.