Michelle Wie is healthy and confident again. She's in contention at the LPGA tournament in Phoenix, too.
Wie shot a 5-under 67 in the second round on Friday (Saturday AEDT) on another hot and low-scoring day at Desert Ridge, to enter the weekend a stroke behind co-leaders Stacy Lewis and Ariya Jutanugarn.
"I think being in contention is definitely a spot where I feel comfortable at. Feels like home to me," Wie said.
"It's nice being in this position again. I'm really proud of the way I've played the last two days."
Lewis and Jutanugarn played together, each following opening rounds of 64 with 67's to reach 13-under, in the tournament that broke the LPGA Tour record for the lowest 36-hole cut at five-under par.
"Sometimes birdies are pars out here," Wie said.
"Certain holes you have to make birdie to stay with the competition. It's just kind of the nature of the game out here."
Jeong Eun Lee shot a 64 to join Wie, Mi Jung Hur (66) and Vicky Hurst (67) at 12-under.
Sarah Jane Smith is the best-placed Australian after a 66 placed her tied-21st at nine-under.
Aussie legend Karrie Webb shot a 67 to be seven-under and among those tied-40th, which includes top-ranked Lydia Ko of New Zealand (69) and defending champion Sei Young Kim (70).
Katherine Kirk is at six-under after back-to-back rounds of 69 while fellow Australians Su Oh and Minjee Lee missed the cut.
Wie is winless in 62 events since the 2014 US Women's Open. She's coming off a fourth-place tie in Singapore after struggling with injuries and her game.
"It definitely makes it a lot sweeter," Wie said.
"Struggling to make the cut on Fridays, coming down the stretch and trying to make the cut is a whole different feeling than making birdies to stay in contention."
Former world No.1 Lewis is winless in 66 events since June 2014 and has slipped to 14th in the world.
After playing the first 11 holes of the tournament in nine-under, Lewis has fought to control her wedges in the thin, hot desert air.
"Didn't have the distance control with my wedges quite dialled in the way I would've liked but still made a bunch of birdies and shot a good round," the 32-year-old Texan said.
World No.2 Jutanugarn birdied four of the last six holes and is bogey-free after two days.
"I'm not really worry who going to be in the leaderboard," Jutanugarn said.
"I just really wasn't to focus on what is under my control."
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