Angela Stanford and Michelle Wie are tied for the lead at -8 going into the final round of the SBS Open.  Angela Park (-7) is one shot behind in third place and Momoko Ueda is in fourth place at -5, three shots back.

As forecast, the winds were even tougher on Friday.  Park's 68 was the only round in the 60s and only 13 others were able to break par.  Her back-nine 33 was marred by a bogey at 17 - otherwise we would have had a three-way overnight tie.  Stanford again played bogey-free golf but only managed one birdie to post 71.  Wie birdied three straight early on (holes 2-4) to reach -9 but only converted one more time the rest of the way while taking two bogeys en route to a 70. 

The others who will start Saturday within six shots of the leaders are Stacy Lewis, Brittany Lang (both 70 -3 T5), Vicky Hurst (71 -3 T5), Yani Tseng (75 -3 T5) and Ai Miyazato (70 -2 9^th).  Sponsor's exemption and KLPGA member Hee Kyung Seo is tied for 10^th with Paula Creamer, Na Yeon Choi and Jee Young Lee (among others).  Kyeong Bae, who was in fourth place after Round One, ballooned to a 79 (nine bogeys on the day) to fall to +2 T30.

The cut climbed to +6 and claimed Ji-Yai Shin (81 +9), Young Kim, Se Ri Pak, Louise Friberg and Amy Yang.  24 players made the cut on the nose (the most I can remember ever seeing) and 83 players will tee it up Saturday.  Just skating in under the wire were Christina Kim, Shiho Oyama, Amy Hung, Lisa Strom and Anna Nordqvist.

I haven't watched the TV coverage yet so I will update afterwards.  GC must be about to swoon - Wie threatening to win in her first event as a member and possibly becoming the first rookie to win a season-opening event.  Michelle has a tough task in front of her - Stanford is picking up where she left off 2008 and looking for her third win in seven starts.