Kraft Nabisco Championship: Yani Tseng looking to defend title

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Defending champion Yani Tseng, ranked No. 1 in the world, is quickly putting herself in contention at the Kraft Nabisco Championship. As part of the group that teed off in the afternoon, and fighting heat that has reached 105 on the Mission Hills Country Club course in Rancho Mirage, Tseng is five under par through 14 holes and alone in second place, two shots behind leader Stacy Lewis, who has already posted a two-day total of nine-under 135.

Tseng has birdied five of her last six holes and seems unbothered by the stifling conditions. Many players are using umbrellas specially designed to lower the temperature by as much as 10 degrees for those standing underneath them. Tseng’s partner Sandra Gal, who won last week’s Kia Classic, is suffering from a heat-caused headache she told her father about two holes ago. Gal is one-over Friday and is tied for seventh (she started the day tied for third).

Morgan Pressel, who won here in 2007, is also working on a solid second round. Pressel, 22, is three-under through 13 holes and is tied for fifth with Chie Aramura, who is one-under and still on the course.

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-- Diane Pucin