Wie will play in final group in her first professional tournament

For a 16-year-old girl, Michelle Wie knows plenty about the birds and bees.

In an awesome display of birdies that shot her into contention Friday with a career-best 65, Wie got a fortuitous ruling at Bighorn Golf Club by getting relief from a desert bush where a few dozen bees were hovering.

She wound up her entertaining afternoon at the Samsung World Championship in Palm Desert, Calif., two shots behind Grace Park, who recovered from a four-putt double bogey to shoot a 6-under 66, her lowest score of the year.

Park, who was at 11-under 133, will be paired with Wie in the final group Saturday.

Annika Sorenstam bogeyed her final two holes for an even-par 71 and joined the group at 9 under that included Wie and 19-year-old Paula Creamer (69).

Wie's tee shot on the par-4 14th lodged at the base of a Gold Lantana plant, and it appeared Wie would have to take a one-shot penalty for an unplayable lie. Instead, she recalled a rare golf tournament she watched on TV when a player got relief because of fire ants, and summoned rules official Jim Haley.

Haley gave her a free drop under the "Decisions of Golf," which allows for relief when "it is unreasonable to expect the player to play from such a dangerous situation" such as a rattlesnake or bees' nest. Wie blasted out of the lie where green grass met desert sand, onto the green and escaped with a par.

PGA Tour

Briny Baird had a hole in one on his way to a 5-under 66 and a two-shot lead midway through the Michelin Championship in Las Vegas.

Two courses, the par-72 TPC at Summerlin, and the par-71 TPC at The Canyons, were used the first two days. The final two rounds will be played at Summerlin.

Baird, one stroke in front beginning his day at The Canyons, was 15 under.

Tour rookie Ryan Moore, the 2004 NCAA and U.S. Amateur champion and 2005 college player of the year out of UNLV, birdied six of his first nine holes at The Canyons and finished with an 8-under 63 that pulled him into a five-way tie for second with Kevin Stadler (66), Paul Goydos (65), Shigeki Maruyama (65) and Bart Bryant (65).

Champions Tour

Jay Haas got off to a fast start in his bid to win consecutive Champions Tour events, shooting a 7-under 65 for a share of the first-round lead with Des Smyth and Morris Hatalsky in the Administaff Small Business Classic in Spring, Texas.

-- From wire reports