Annika Sorenstam knew that her announcement to give up tournament golf at the end of the year would surprise many people. She didn't expect her retirement plans to hurt her golf game. The Swedish star scraped into the weekend at the Women's British Open, making the cut by one stroke at an event she won in 2003 for one of her 10 major titles. A second successive even-par 72 over the 6,408-yard Sunningdale course was not the scenario she had in mind for her last major. “Ever since I made my announcement, I've just not been able to get anything going. I don't know what it is,” the 37-year-old said Friday. Sorenstam admits to being puzzled by being unable to get anywhere near the leaders, Yuri Fudoh and Ji-Yai Shin, who are 10-under par. Outside the projected cut after No. 7, Sorenstam responded with birdies on the easier 9th, 10th and 11th holes. Westwood charges ahead Back on American soil for the first time since finishing third at the US Open in June, Britain's Lee Westwood charged into contention at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational on Friday. The former European number one shot a sparkling five-under-par 65 in sun-drenched conditions in the second round for a five-under total of 135. He is a stroke behind pacesetting American Phil Mickelson at Firestone Country Club in the third and final World Golf Championship (WGC) event of the year. An unabashed fan of the par-70 layout at Firestone, Westwood said he had gained a considerable boost in self-belief after posting his best major finish at Torrey Pines two months ago. Although world number one Tiger Woods is a notable absentee at Firestone this week as a six-time winner of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Westwood was not at all concerned. “Whether Tiger plays or not has no bearing on how I feel in any particular week,” the 18-time European Tour winner said. Four strokes off the pace at the start of the day, Westwood birdied his first two holes to set the tone for his second-round charge. “The first holes were nice and painless,” the former world number four said. “I hit a driver and wedge to about 12 inches at the 10th, which was my first hole, and then driver, wedge to about eight inches on 11. “It doesn't get much easier than that to start a round. My overall game tee to green was very good. You have to hit it well around here to give yourself scoring opportunities, and once I did that, I took advantage of them. “This is a golf course I've played well on in the past,” added the Briton. “I've shot 63 around here and I think I hold the lowest score for the back nine. It's just a golf course that I stand on and a lot of shots suit my eye.” Wie posts 73 Jeff Overton barreled into the lead with a 65 and Michelle Wie shot an opening 73 in the first round of the three million dollar PGA Reno-Tahoe Open Golf Tournament on Thursday. Wie, who aspires to play full-time on the men's tour, shot a one-over par 73 while Overton fired a seven-under 65 at the Montreux Golf and Country Club. Wie was given an exemption to the tournament which includes few big name players from the men's tour. Most of the top players are competing this week at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio which has 47 of the top 50 players in the world in the field. Harrison Frazar, Brian Davis, Marco Dawson and John Merrick are tied for second at five-under 67. A group of 13 players are at four
