Since I usually spend my Sunday afternoons following an online leaderboard until the coverage starts and this IS a major, why not detail the experience for the world to read?

First a few more notes about yesterday's round, since I didn't watch the coverage until this morning.  The conditions were perfect yesterday, just a hint of breeze.  The higher scoring appeared to be the result of tougher pin placements as the greens were rolling just fine, although still very quick.

The golfing gods are really looking over Cristie Kerr.  I had read about her wayward tee shot at 14 but it has to be seen to be believed.  Her ball bounced once near the edge of the hazard and the second bounce struck a rock and ricocheted perfectly toward the hole, almost rolling in for an ace.  She wasn't able to can the gift birdie opportunity but that good fortune foreshadowed her great shot at 17, where Cristie thought she had pulled her tee ball way left.  It missed the overhanging tree and rolled up right next to the hole.

Now, on to the live blogging:

9am PDT - They are playing off 1 and 10 today in order to get the round in before 3pm local time, when CBS is scheduled to go off air.  As usual under the circumstances, the players in the middle of the field go out first.  Joo Mi Kim is -1 through 3 (+2 overall), the only early starter within ten shots of the leader, Kristy McPherson.  Jee Young Lee is -2 through 5, +3 overall.  Within the next 45 minutes, everyone will be on the course.  Stay tuned...

9:05am - Joo Mi birdied 4 to reach +1.

9:25am - Pat Hurst birdied 1 and is now -2, down by six.

9:40am - Helen Alfredsson bogeyed the 1st, falling to -1 and seven shots back.

9:50am - The next-to-last group just finished #1.  Christina Kim birdied to go -4 and tie her playing partners Jimin Kang and Lindsey Wright for fourth place.  McPherson, Kerr and Brittany Lincicome are playing in the final group.

9:58am - Meaghan Francella birdied 2 to reach -3.  The final group all parred #1.  The leaderboard currently looks like this:

-8  McPherson -7  Kerr -6  Lincicome -4  Wright, Kang, C Kim -3  Francella

10:05am - Michelle Wie parred her first hole (#10) to remain at +17...sorry, just wanted to be sure to get my share of Wie-hits today.

10:10am - Francella birdied 3 to reach -4.  Down by four.  Katherine Hull also birdied 3 and is -3.

10:15am - Hurst birdied 4 and is tied for eighth with Hull at -3. 

10:18am - Kerr birdied 2 while McPherson bogeyed.  Kerr in the solo lead at -8.  Kim birdied 3 to reach -5, down by three.  Kang bogeyed 3, falls to -3 T7. 

10:23am - A whole lot happening real fast now - Hull birdied 4 and is now -4.  I'd better update the leaderboard:

-8  Kerr -7  McPherson -6  Lincicome -5  C Kim -4  Francella, Hull, Wright -3  Hurst, Kang

10:35am - While there's a brief lull in the action, I'd like to point out for my American-centric readers that of the current Top 9 players, one is from Korea, two are from Australia and six are from the U.S. of A.  Also, a guy by the name of Michael Hoey just won the European PGA event in a playoff.  Yes, I do put other golf on the tube while following the online board.

10:40am - Suzann Pettersen isn't quite done yet.  She's -3 through 6 and -2 overall.  Six shots back - it could happen.

10:45am - Francella just birdied 5 to tie Christina for fourth at -5.  I guess I should have grouped Meaghan with Kim and Kang this morning as a player trying to end a winless spell in a big way today.

10:48am - Kerr birdied 4 to open up a two-shot lead.  Hull's charge takes a hit as she bogeyed 5 and falls to -3.  Pettersen still coming - birdie at 7 puts her at -3.

10:55am - Ten players in contention at this point (within six shots of the lead), then a three-shot gap back to eleventh place.  Safe to say one of these players will be your winner:

-9  Kerr -7  McPherson -6  Lincicome -5  Francella, C Kim -4  Wright -3  Pettersen, Hurst, Hull, Kang

10:56am - Golf Central report from the course - conditions are perfect.  These early birdies are no accident.  Francella collects her fourth birdie in six holes to tie for third at -6.  Tim Rosenforte thinks Lorena Ochoa has already gotten married - not til December, dude.

11am - Hull takes a second straight bogey, now -2 through 6.  Pettersen makes her third straight birdie, -4 through 8.

11:09am - Kang makes her first birdie of the day at 6 to get back where she started, -4.

11:15am - Kerr is now officially in command.  McPherson bogeyed 5 to fall three shots back.  Francella stumbled with a bogey at 7 and is now -5.

11:25am - Pettersen completes her first nine in 31 after a par at 9.  Oh, but for that 74 she shot yesterday...  Kang birdies 7 to go -5.  Let's see that board again:

-9  Kerr -6  McPherson, Lincicome -5  Francella, Kang, C Kim -4  Pettersen, Wright -3  Hurst

11:30am - Hurst birdies 9 to go out in 33.  Nine players are within five of the lead but no one is closer to Kerr than three.

11:40am - With all 70 players through at least six holes, 21 are under par for the day.  Pretty comparable to Thursday's great scoring.  McPherson gets her first birdie of the day at 7 to close within two shots.

11:55am - Just minutes away from CBS going on-air and we have a leaderboard with lots of potential.  Kerr is playing well but that two-shot lead isn't insurmountable.  Lincicome just birdied #8 to close within two.  Hurst bogeyed 10 to fall six behind.  I'll still be posting but I think I'll fire up a new one when Verne starts talking.  Here is the board going into the coverage:

-9  Kerr -7  McPherson, Lincicome -5  Francella, Kang, C Kim -4  Pettersen, Wright