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Young's second round a work in progress

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif.--Heather Young's second round at the Kraft Nabisco Championship on Friday couldn't have started much worse. She three-putted from 35 feet for bogey on the par-5 11th, then double bogeyed the par-4 12th after hitting her second shot from the bunker over the green. But somehow the player formerly known as Heather Bowie pulled it all together, and come tomorrow, she'll tee it up with the world's No. 1-ranked player, Lorena Ochoa, in the last group at a major championship.

"I got off to a rough start and I just tried to keep my mood up, and it served me well," said Young, who played the final 11 holes in 5-under par and is 5 under overall. "I kept telling myself, it's just a work in progress. It's not one hole, one shot, or one round. You've just got to keep going."

Young has one LPGA Tour victory to her credit, the 2005 Jamie Farr Owens Cornung Classic, and has had some success in the majors, finishing third at the 2004 Women's British Open. But a win at the Nabisco would be a major surprise: In eight previous appearances at Mission Hills Country Club, Bowie's best finish is a tie for 14th in 2002. Playing with the long-hitting Ochoa and her large contingent of fans from Mexico will also prove a challenge for the University of Texas grad.

"It's going to be a tough day, I'm sure," said Young, who tees off with Ochoa at 1:15 p.m. local time. "It's going to be very easy to get distracted. The one thing I expect out of myself is to keep my head on straight and not let distractions get in the way. If I hit bad shots, I hit bad shots. But I don't want to mentally hit them."