Sorenstam Gets Angry and Storms to the Lead

Angry with herself after three-putt bogeys on consecutive holes, Annika Sorenstam birdied the last five holes Saturday to take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the LPGA’s Kellogg-Keebler Classic at Aurora, Ill.

She finished with a six-under-par 66, the second-best round of the cold and windy day, giving her a two-day score of 16-under 128.

“I was extremely mad,� Sorenstam said, smiling. “That happens. It’s golf. It got me fired up. Sometimes you’ve got to turn it around, get mad at yourself and turn it into a positive.�

Mhairi McKay had nine birdies on her way to a 64 and is at 130.

Rosie Jones, who began the day tied with Sorenstam for the lead, shot a 71 and is five strokes back.

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Jim Ahern shot a nine-under 63 to take a six-stroke lead after the second round of the Champions Tour’s Music City Championship at Nashville.

Motor Racing

Nighttime was the right time for Michel Jourdain Jr.

The 26-year-old Mexican driver held off challenges from Paul Tracy and Oriol Servia for his first Champ Car victory in CART’s first race under the lights at West Allis, Wis.

Jourdain, in his eighth season, pulled away on a restart with 10 laps left and beat Servia to the finish line by about three car-lengths to win the Centennial 250 at the Milwaukee Mile.

Joe Nemechek won the MBNA 200 to become the first driver in 17 years at Dover (Del.) International Speedway to win a NASCAR Busch series race from the pole.

Ralf Schumacher won the pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo with the fastest time ever on the famed street circuit. Schumacher was timed in 1 minute 15.259 seconds averaging almost 100 mph.

John Force set a national Funny Car record with a 4.721-second run to top qualifying for the 114th time in his career in the NHRA Route 66 Nationals at Joliet, Ill. Force had a top speed of 325.30 mph.

Greg Pursley breezed to a 75-lap wire-to-wire victory as he won his second race in the fourth round of the Jani-King Super Late Model Series Miller Lite Big 10 Challenge at Irwindale Speedway in front of a standing-room only crowd of 8,000, the largest crowd in the track’s history.

Pursley started the race on the pole position thanks to a four-car inversion.

With Rip Michels, the defending champion and top qualifier in fourth, Pursley easily pulled away from the lead pack and was never challenged.

Track and Field

Arizona State senior Lisa Aguilera ran the second-fastest 3,000-meter steeplechase in American collegiate history on the final day of the NCAA West Regional at Palo Alto.

Aguilera finished in 9 minutes 46.30 seconds, second only to American record holder Elizabeth Jackson’s 9:41.94 in 2001 for Brigham Young.

UCLA junior Lena Nilsson won two events (1,500 and 800 meters) to lead the Bruins to the women’s team title with 138 points. The UCLA men also won the regional title with 101 points.

UCLA sophomore Monique Henderson ran a season-best 52.01 to win the 400 meters. Junior Sheena Johnson went a season-best 55.88 to win the 400 hurdles, and sophomore Candice Baucham went 42 feet to win the triple jump for the Bruins.

Bruin junior Dan Ames won the men’s shot put with a distance of 63 feet 11 1/2 inches. He won the discus on Friday. Senior Kyle Erickson won the 400 hurdles in 50.14 for UCLA.

USC’s individual winners were senior Ryan Wilson in the 110 hurdles (13.54), freshman Raphael Asafo-Agyei in the 800 (1:50.05), sophomore Allen Simms in the triple jump (54-6 1/2), senior Natasha Mayers in the 100 (11.49) and junior Miya Edmonson in the 200 in a season best 23.72.

Miscellany

Gordie Howe was released from a Detroit hospital after being treated for an irregular heartbeat. The 75-year-old hockey great was hospitalized Friday after complaining of discomfort, Red Wing spokesman John Hahn said.

Olympic super-heavyweight champion Audley Harrison improved to 11-0, stopping Matthew Ellis in the second round at London.

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T.J. Simers is on vacation.