Matthew on a high with eagle but Ochoa is flying

AN EAGLE three at the final hole was the perfect way for North Berwick's Catriona Matthew to complete a level-par 72 but it was world No.1 Lorena Ochoa who really turned up the heat as she stretched her lead at the halfway stage of the HSBC Women's Champions today at Tanah Merah Country Club in Singapore.

Ochoa, the current world No.1, had eight birdies in a second-round 65 and led by an amazing seven shots on 13 under par. Annika Sorenstam, the previous dominant figure of the women's fairways, birdied the last four holes for a 67 and was tied for second on six under with South Korea's In-Kyung Kim (68) and American Paul Creamer, who had a slightly disappointing 71.

In the elite 78-strong field, Matthew, playing her first LPGA event of the year, moved inside the top 40 on two over par. Mhairi McKay also shot 72 and was the best of the three Scots on one over par, while Janice Moodie had a 76 for six over.

Matthew admitted her game was "still a little scruffy" at the start of a new campaign, but the three at the par five ninth (her 18th) – a drive and a rescue club shot to 12 feet – was her second eagle in 36 hole

McKay also eagled the ninth – a three wood second to 20 feet – and she added to the unconventional figures by finding an unplayable lie and running up an eight at the long 13th before hitting back with birdies at the 15th, 16th and 18th.

"Never a dull moment," quipped her husband, Dave Smith, who was watching from the sidelines, while she was delighted to claw her way back into the top 30 in a tournament with a £1million prize fund.

"I was upset by the triple-bogey, but I also knew there were good birdie opportunities down the final few holes and it was good to make the most of them," said the Turnberry 32-year-old, who missed the cut in the two LPGA tournaments in Hawaii this month.

Ochoa had a bogey-free first round 66 and her only mistake so far was a bogey at the par-five 13th.

But even that hole showed her ability as she twice hit into trees, but then got up and down from around 200-yards to make nothing worse than a bogey six.