Europe takes narrow lead over U.S. in Solheim Cup

EDINA, Minn. -- By pairing the world's best player with the unbeatable Carin Koch, Europe found its Solheim Cup dream team Saturday. Make that, one of its dream teams.

Koch and Annika Sorenstam led a European sweep of the afternoon best-ball matches to give Europe a 9-7 lead over the Americans after Day 2 at Interlachen Country Club.

Koch and Sorenstam were the only European winners in the four morning alternate-shot matches. But with the amazing afternoon, the defending champions need just five wins in the 12 singles matches today to bring their total to 14 points and keep the cup.

The Americans need 14 1/2 points to avoid losing the women's version of the Ryder Cup on their own soil for the first time.

Koch improved to 7-0 lifetime in Solheim Cup matches. She joined Dottie Pepper as the only player in the history of the event to go 4-0 in a single year.

Koch and Sorenstam beat Cristie Kerr and Michele Redman in the morning and Beth Daniel and Wendy Ward in the afternoon, both by 4 and 3 scores.

Europe won the other three afternoon matches 1-up, with Maria Hjorth and Iben Tinning beating Pat Hurst and Kelli Kuehne; Karine Icher and Raquel Carriedo edged Kerr and Rosie Jones; and Laura Davies and Sophie Gustafson beating Kelly Robbins and Emilee Klein.

* American Express Championship:Despite no bogeys over the first 54 holes and his largest lead in two years, Tiger Woods figures he needs one more good round to win the American Express Championship.

Woods didn't hit the ball as crisply as he did the first two days, but he still produced a nonchalant round of 5-under 67 on a stunningly gorgeous afternoon at Mount Juliet.

Birdies on the final two holes, the last one following a 5-iron that stopped 4 feet from the cup, left Woods at 19-under 197 and gave him a five-stroke lead over a half-dozen players.

Scott McCarron set a course record with an 8-under 64. He was at 202 and will be paired with Woods in the final group Sunday.

* Tampa Bay Classic:K.J. Choi pushed his lead to five strokes in the Tampa Bay Classic, overcoming a late double bogey to shoot his second straight 3-under 68.

Choi, who won the Compaq Classic in May to became the first South Korean winner on the PGA Tour, opened with a course-record 63 en route to his 14-under 199 total. He missed a chance to take an even bigger lead, dropping two strokes on the par-3 15th.

Pat Perez was second after a 71 that included two eagles and two double bogeys on the Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead course. Glen Day (70), and Donnie Hammond (69) were six strokes back.

* SAS Championship:Andy North birdied his last four holes in a 6-under 66 to take a one-shot lead over Bruce Lietzke after the second round of the Senior PGA Tour's SAS Championship.

North, the two-time U.S. Open winner who is winless in 17 years, had a 10-under 134 total on the Prestonwood Country Club course. Lietzke, the defending champion, shot a course-record 63.

-- From wire reports