Solid Matthew stays in contention

Scotland's Catriona Matthew stayed in the hunt as Norway's Suzann Pettersen and South Korean Se Ri Pak shared top spot with a round to play at the Kraft Nabisco Championship at Mission Hills Country Club in California.

Pettersen, who was runner-up at last week's Safeway International in Arizona,

had a tap-in birdie at the last for a 71, while Pak, seeking her sixth major,

rammed home a 30-foot birdie putt at the last to move level on a four-under-par

212.

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Two Americans - Paula Creamer (73) and Meaghan Francella (69) - were tied for

third at just a shot behind, while Matthew finished just three strokes off the

lead tied for sixth place.

For the 37-year-old Briton, it was a continuation of her impressive comeback

from seven months' maternity leave. On her season's debut last week, she tied

for fifth.

"The conditions were very windy and tricky and I'm delighted to shoot a par

round today," said Matthew after her two-birdie, two-bogey effort. "It's still

all to play for."

England's Laura Davies was in the top 20 after carding 73 to finish three over

par on 219.

Pettersen won the 2001 French Open but has been hampered by injury in her four

years in America. But she is now fully fit and showing the form that has made

her a star of three Solheim Cup appearances.

"It is great to be back and having fun again," said the 25-year-old after a

solid round of two birdies and just one bogey. "The last few years have been

frustrating."

Pak will enter the LPGA Hall of Fame at the end of this, her tenth season, on

the LPGA Tour. If she wins tomorrow, she will complete a career Grand Slam of

all four majors. She has already won three LPGA Championships, one US Women's

Open and was the 2001 Women's British Open winner at Sunningdale.

Mexico's Lorena Ochoa saw her chance of winning a first major and snatch the

world number one ranking from Annika Sorenstam suffer a huge setback with a

quadruple-bogey seven at the short 17th. She hit a tree and needed three chips

to reach the green to close one over par after a round of 77.