Afternoon Sports Update - Wie in three way tie at US Women's Open in Kohler

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Michelle Wie joined two others in a tie for the lead early this afternoon at the US Women’s Open in Kohler. Wie, who was tied for 38th after Round One, was at six under par going into the final hole of her second round at Blackwolf Run. That put her at four under for the tournament in her quest for her first victory in a major. Vicki Hurst was also at minus four going into her final hole of the day. Cristie Kerr, one of three first round leaders, was at four under after 16, and Suzann Pettersen also shared the lead at minus four after 15 holes. Sandra Gal and Inbee Park were both one stroke back at three under for the tourney. Lexi Thompson and Lizette Salas, another of yesterday’s leaders, were among five players at minus two in a tie for seventh. Fifteen golfers were under par as of early afternoon, and 23 players were within five strokes of the lead. Brittany Lincicome, the third of the opening round leaders, went eight over today. Her 80 dropped her to a tie for 81st. But that was right at the projected cut line for the weekend.

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Milwaukee Brewers’ outfielder Ryan Braun says his team has taken “two steps forward and three steps back” all season. But they hope to end the year’s first half on a positive note during a three game series at Houston which begins tonight. It’s the final series before the All Star break. And Braun, who will start for the National League in Tuesday night’s Mid Summer Classic, said the Brewers have not played well enough to win consistently but they’ll keep battling every day. Milwaukee is six games below .500, six and a half games out of a Wild Card spot and eight behind first-place Pittsburgh in the NL Central. But the Astros are well below the Brew Crew in terms of performance. A Houston loss tonight would give them nine straight defeats for the first time since September of 2009. And the Astros have the Majors’ worst record since May 26th at 10-28. Houston is 19 games below .500 for the season. They’re coming off a 2-0 loss to Pittsburgh yesterday, while the Brewers have dropped two straight against Miami. Milwaukee first baseman Corey Hart has a 13 game hitting streak against Houston, and Braun is 7-21 against the Astros this year with two homers and four RBI’s. Right hander Yovani Gallardo will go for his eighth straight win over Houston against left hander J.A. Happ.

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Teams in the Northwoods League are entering their first weekend of the season’s second half. First half South Division champion La Crosse won its opening second half contest last night, 7-0 in Mequon against the Lakeshore Chinooks. Green Bay is 1-0 after crushing Wisconsin Rapids at home, 10-2. The Wisconsin Woodchucks pounced on Battle Creek 9-1 in Wausau. And Eau Claire is 0-1 for the new stanza after a 9-4 loss at Madison. All four of those series continue tonight. In the North Division, Mankato, Willmar, Rochester, and Saint Cloud are all 1-0. Mankato hosts Thunder Bay tonight. Duluth is at home against Rochester. Willmar plays at Waterloo. And Alexandria is at Saint Cloud.

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Wisconsin’s two golfers at the PGA’s Greenbrier Classic were just starting their second rounds this afternoon. Jerry Kelly of Madison was at one-under par after 10 holes of his second round in White Sulphur Springs West Virginia. And he was tied for ninth place as of early afternoon. Steve Stricker of Madison was one over after three holes today and he was at even par for the tournament at that point in a tie for 76th. He was in danger of missing the weekend cut. Jonathan Byrd and Charlie Beljan had the early afternoon lead, both at minuseight after completing their second rounds late this morning.

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One of the largest international bicycle racing series outside the Tour de France begins tonight in Chicago. The International Cycling Classic features 17 days of racing in communities throughout southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. The first six events of what’s known as “Super-Week Pro Tour” will be held in the Chicago area, starting tonight with the Beverly Hills Cycling Classic. Beloit is hosting its first Super Week event, the Downtown Beloit Criterium next Thursday. The Milwaukee area, Racine, Kenosha, and Oshkosh will also host International races before the series ends on July 22nd. Feng Chun-Kai of Taiwan won the overall championship a year ago in the top men’s division. Cole House of Oneida was Wisconsin’s top finisher in 13th place. Nikki Wangsgard of Utah has won the women’s title for the past two years.

Tags: sports, golf, brewers